Gender Differences in Oral Health Literacy related Factors among Elderly People

Kyu Eun Lee; Young-Hee Yom; Sang Suk Kim; Jung Hee Han

doi:10.12799/jkachn.2014.25.1.54

Journal List > J Korean Acad Community Health Nurs > v.25(1) > 1058362

Go to TopGo to Top Go to BottomGo to Bottom

TOOLS

Lee, Yom, Kim, and Han: Gender Differences in Oral Health Literacy related Factors among Elderly People

Original Article

Journal of Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing 2014; 25(1): 54-64.

Published online: 31 March 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12799/jkachn.2014.25.1.54

Gender Differences in Oral Health Literacy related Factors among Elderly People

Kyu Eun Lee¹, Young-Hee Yom², Sang Suk Kim², Jung Hee Han³

¹Department of Nursing, Kwnadong University, Gangneung, Korea.

²Red Cross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.

³Graduate School, Department of Nursing, Graduate School, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.

Corresponding author: Yom, Young-Hee. Red Cross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, 221 Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 156-756, Korea. Tel: +82-2-820-5700, Fax: +82-2-824-7961, yhyom@cau.ac.kr

Received 26 September 2013 Revised 17 March 2014 Accepted 24 March 2014

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

This study is to measure oral health literacy levels and to identify oral health literacy related factors in elders.

Methods

The research design for this study was a descriptive survey design using convenience samples. Data collection was done by using a self-report questionnaire with 321 elders from three welfare centers for the aged and two senior centers located in three cities. Data were analyzed by using percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé, Pearson's Correlation Analysis and hierarchical multiple regression with the SPSS Win 18.0 Program.

Results

The oral health literacy scores of male elders were higher than those of female elders (t=9.73, p=.002). In hierarchical multiple regression analysis, education levels, smoking and oral health statuses were significant predictors and accounted for 29.8% of the male elders' oral health literacy. For female elders, education levels, health statuses and oral health statuses were significant predictors and accounted for 47.7%.

Conclusion

These results suggest that interventions for improving oral health literacy are necessary to enhance elders' ability of self-care management. Also, these results could be used in developing oral health literacy programs.

Keywords: Aged, Health status, Health literacy

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Knowledge of Oral Health Literacy of Subjects (N=321)

Table 2

Oral Health Literacy Levels by REALM

REALM=rapid estimate of adult literacy in medicine.

Table 3

Difference of Oral Health Literacy (N=321)

Table 4

Means and Correlations among Variables

OH=oral health.

Table 5

Results of Hierarchical Regression on Oral Health Literacy

References

1. Ministry of Health & Welfare. Korea health statistics 2010: Korea national health & nutrition examination survey (KNH ANES V-1) [Internet]. Seoul: Ministry of Health & Welfare;2009. cited 2013 September 3. Available from: http://knhanes.cdc.go.kr/knhanes/index.do.

2. Richmond S, Chestnutt I, Shennan J, Brown R. The relationship of medical and dental factors to perceived general and dental health. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2007; 35(2):89–97.

3. Song KH. A study on the evaluation oh health-and oral health-related quality of life in Korean adults [dissertation]. Seoul: Hanyang University;2007. 125.

4. Gazmararian JA, Williams MV, Peel J, Baker DW. Health literacy and knowledge of chronic disease. Patient Educ Couns. 2003; 51(3):267–275.

5. Ickes MJ, Cottrell R. Healthy literacy in college students. J Am Coll Health. 2010; 58(5):491–498. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07448481003599104.

6. Ministry of Health & Welfare. National health information portal service [Internet]. Seoul: Ministry of Health & Welfare;2013. cited 2013 September 3. Available from: http://health.mw.go.kr/Main.do.

7. Lee YT, Yoon TY, Kim SH. Functional health literacy and understanding of explanation according to characteristics of patients. Health Soc Sci. 2012; 32(2):145–171.

8. Lee JY, Divaris K, Baker AD, Rozier RG, Vann WF Jr. The relationship of oral health literacy and self-efficacy with oral health status and dental neglect. Am J Public Health. 2012; 102(5):923–929. http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300291.

9. Institute of Medicine. Health literacy: A prescription to end confusion. Washington. DC: National Academies Press;2004. p. 41.

10. Kim CS. Gender differentials of economic resources in old age. Korea J Popul Stud. 2003; 26(1):59–77.

11. Kim SH, Lee E. The influence of functional literacy on perceived health status in Korean older adults. J Korean Acad Nurs. 2008; 38(2):195–203.

12. Park JY, June KJ. Influencing factors on functional health literacy among the rural elderly. J Korean Acad Community Health Nurs. 2011; 22(1):75–85.

13. Ju HJ, Oh HW, Kim JY, Lee HS. A cross-sectional study on oral health literacy and its influencing factors among adults: I. verbal oral health literacy. J Korean Acad Oral Health. 2012; 36(2):97–105.

14. Lee GJ. Factors affecting activities for oral health promotion [dissertation]. Daegu: Hanny University;2010. 103.

15. Richman JA, Lee JY, Rozier RG, Gong DA, Pahel BT, Vann WF Jr. Evaluation of a word recognition instrument to test health literacy in dentistry: the REALD-99. J Public Health Dent. 2007; 67(2):99–104.

16. Naghibi Sistani MM, Yazdani R, Virtanen J, Pakdaman A, Murtomaa H. Determinants of oral health: does oral health literacy matter? ISRN Dentistry. 2013; 3(13):1–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/249591.

17. Hwang TY. Understanding health literacy: Implications for medicine and public health. Seoul: Academy Press;2010. p. 202.

18. Kim SS, Kim SH, Lee SY. Health literacy: Development of a Korean health literacy assessment tool. J Korean Soc Health Educ Promot. 2005; 22(4):215–227.

19. Jung JO, Oh GJ. A study of the relationship between socioeconomic status, oral health behaviors and periodontitis in the elderly Korean population. J Korean Acad Oral Health. 2011; 35(1):57–66.

20. Nam YS. Influence factors associated with oral health status and the of oral health on the quality of life in older Korean adults [dissertation]. Gyeonggi-do: Ajou University;2012. 97.

21. Kutner M, Greenberg E, Jin Y, Paulsen C. The health literacy of America's adults results from the 2003 national assessment of adult literacy. Washington DC: US Department of Education;2006. p. 76.

22. Schwartz L, Woloshin S, Black WC, Welch HG. The role of numeracy in understanding the benefit of screening mammography. Ann Intern Med. 1997; 127(11):966–972.

23. Kim JE. Measuring the level of health literacy and influence factors: trageting the visitors of a university hospital's outpatient clinic. J Korean Clin Nurs Res. 2011; 17(1):27–34.

24. Moon HJ. Factors related to antihypertensive medication adherence and blood pressure control among older adults [master's thesis]. Seoul: Yonsei University;2008. 75.

25. Gwak JH. Impacts of tobacco on oral health [master's thesis]. Seoul: Seoul National University;2012. 95.

26. Wolf MS, Gazmararian JA, Baker DW. Health literacy and health risk behaviors among old adults. Am J Prev Med. 2007; 32(1):19–24.

27. Davis TC, Crouch MA, Long SW, Jackson RH, Bates P, George RB, et al. Rapid assessment of literacy levels of adult primary care patients. Fam Med. 1991; 23(6):433–435.

TOOLS

Similar articles