The relationship between health literacy level and quality of life in heart failure patients

Abstract

Background and Objective: Heart failure is one of the most common cardiovascular disorders and also it is one of the main problems of general health in the current society. Considering the role of health literacy in improving the quality of life of patients, the present study was conducted to determine the health literacy status of patients with heart failure hospitalized in Shahid Mohammadi Hospital in Bandar Abbas and its relationship with quality of life in these patients. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 200 patients with heart failure hospitalized in Shahid Mohammadi Hospital in Bandar Abbas in 2019. Sampling was random sampling in even days of week. Data was collected by two questionnaires including standard questionnaire of health literacy and the Minnesota Quality of Life Questionnaire (MLHF). The reliability of each scale was tested by Cronbach alpha. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation test using SPSS 21 software. Results: The average level of health literacy and the quality of life were 34.60 and 79.10, respectively. Health literacy cannot be ranked as a predictor of quality of life in heart failure patients. However, a significant relationship was observed between functional, communicational and critical dimension of health literacy and mental dimension of quality of life. Conclusion: Participants in our study had poor quality of life. Their health literacy also was inadequate. Although this study did not find any meaningful relationship between health literacy and quality of life, attention to improving the level of health literacy and quality of life in all dimensions in this group of patients seems necessary. © 2021, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.