Health literacy and blood sugar control among elderly people with diabetes, Na Bon District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

Abstract

          This study employed a cross-sectional descriptive research design with the objectives to: (1) examine the level of health literacy and self-management among older adults with diabetes, and (2) investigate the relationship between health literacy and self-management in this population. The sample consisted of 112 older adults aged 60–85 years who had been diagnosed with diabetes and resided in Nabon Subdistrict, Nabon District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Data were analyzed using (1) descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, and mean, and (2) Pearson’s correlation coefficient to examine the relationships between variables.

            The results indicated that the participants had a high level of health literacy (74.11%). When analyzed by components, their ability to access health service information was at a moderate level, while their ability to make appropriate health-related decisions was at a high level (50.89%). Additionally, the ability to control blood glucose levels was significantly associated with health communication skills and media and information literacy at the 0.05 significance level (p-values = 0.042 and 0.014, respectively). Moreover, decision-making regarding appropriate health behaviors was significantly associated with blood glucose control (p-value < 0.001).These findings highlight the importance of health literacy, particularly communication skills and the ability to evaluate health information, as key factors influencing blood glucose control among older adults with diabetes.