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Health Literacy in the General Population in Belgium

Completed
Conditions
Health Literacy
Registration Number
NCT03561636
Lead Sponsor
University of Liege
Brief Summary

The aims of the study are:

* To measure health literacy (HL) levels in a sample composed of members of a health mutual (Solidaris), and its potential associations with several determinants (health, health services consumption, health behaviours...)

* To identify potential groups at risk of a lower HL

* To identify the determinants of HL level

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
2535
Inclusion Criteria
  • 18 years old or more
  • Affiliated to Solidaris (health mutual), with a valid phone number
  • Consent to participate
Exclusion Criteria
  • None

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Health LiteracyAt the inclusion in the study

The degree to which individuals can obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. It also includes the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health. It is measured by the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) (Osborne et al., 2013), composed of 44 items (9 dimensions).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
General healthAt the inclusion in the study

Measured with the EQ-5D-5L (EuroQol Group, 1990), divided into 2 parts: the second part is composed of 1 Visual Analogue Scale (VAS, from 0 to 100), investigating the perceived health.

Physical activityAt the inclusion in the study

Investigated through 2 questions: during the last 7 days, how many days did you practice intense physical activity? / during the last 7 days, how many days did you practice moderate physical activity? For each question, answers range from 0 to 7.

Chronic illnessesAt the inclusion in the study

Questions about the presence of chronic illness(es) are asked, along with their duration.

Feeling of stigma associated with the chronic illnessAt the inclusion in the study

Measured with the Stigma Scale for Chronic Illnesses (Molina et al., 2013), which assesses enacted and internalised stigma. It is composed of 8 items. The responses for each item can be: 1 = Never, 2 = Rarely, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Often, and 5 = Always. The raw summed score range is 8-40, with a higher score indicating a higher perceived stigma. Raw scores are then transformed into T-scores (a result of rescaling raw scores into standardized scores with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10).

Satisfaction about health servicesAt the inclusion in the study

Investigation of the participant's satisfaction about hospitals, dentists, specialised physician, general practitioners, home care and Solidaris, through 6 questions ranging from 1 (very unsatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied).

Body Mass IndexAt the inclusion in the study

Calculated with the standard formula (weight/height²)

Use of the Internet for health purposesAt the inclusion in the study

Investigated through 1 question: "how often do you use the Internet to search information about your health?". Answers range from 1 (never) to 5 (always).

Consumption behaviorsAt the inclusion in the study

Tobacco, alcohol, fruits and vegetables consumption are investigated through 5 questions: do you smoke ? / If yes, what do you smoke? / How often do you drink alcohol? / How often do you eat fruits? / How often do you eat vegetables?

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

University Hospital of Liege

🇧🇪

Liege, Belgium

University of Liège

🇧🇪

Liège, Belgium

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