Correlation Between Health Literacy and Self-efficacy of the Elderly

Background: Health literacy is the capacity of a person to obtain, process, and understand basic health information for appropriate health decision making. Self-efficacy is the assurance that is felt about a particular activity which maintains and promotes effective health behaviors.  Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between health literacy and self-efficacy in the elderly people. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study with cross-sectional design was conducted on 144 elderly living in Ramsar city in 2018 who were selected using a random cluster sampling method. Data collection tools were a demographic form, Self Rated Abilities for Health Practices Scale, and Health Literacy for Iranian Adults completed by the researcher after obtaining informed consent from the participants. Data were analyzed in SPSS v.16 software using correlation test, independent t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher’s exact test. Findings: Most of participants were female (59%), married (86.8%), housekeeper (52.8%) and high school dropouts (35.4%), and moderate financial status (61.8%) with a mean age of 68.75±2.12 years. Pearson correlation test results showed a significant relationship between health literacy and self-efficacy of the elderly (P=0.0001). Conclusion: Considering the role of health literacy in increasing the self-efficacy of the elderly, healthcare system policymakers need to pay attention to the issue of health literacy in health system planning.