Table 3.
Multivariate Estimation of the Association of Health Literacy with Health Status and Health Care Utilization (N = 1180)
| Physical Health | Mental Health | Outpatient clinic visit | ER visit | Hospitalization | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OR | (95% CI) | OR | (95% CI) | OR | (95% CI) | OR | (95% CI) | OR | (95% CI) | |
| Health Literacya | ||||||||||
| Marginal | 1.02 | (0.74-1.42) | 1.05 | (0.77-1.44) | 0.89 | (0.61-1.29) | 1.15 | (0.70-1.91) | 0.60 | (0.27-1.32) |
| Inadequate | 0.82 | (0.50-1.33) | 0.62* | (0.39-0.99) | 0.79 | (0.45-1.39) | 1.08 | (0.51-2.27) | 1.22 | (0.47-3.06) |
| Age (years)b | 1.00 | (0.99-1.01) | 1.01* | (1.00-1.02) | 1.03* | (1.02-1.04) | 1.01 | (0.99-1.02) | 1.13* | (1.01-1.06) |
| Malec | 1.32* | (1.06-1.64) | 1.08 | (0.87-1.33) | 0.68* | (0.52-0.87) | 0.97 | (0.68-1.38) | 0.94 | (0.57-1.55) |
| Education (years)b | 1.03 | (0.99-1.07) | 1.02 | (0.98-1.06) | 1.03 | (0.98-1.08) | 1.02 | (0.96-1.09) | 1.09* | (1.00-1.18) |
| Household Incomed | ||||||||||
| 51-75% of average | 1.25 | (0.91-1.73) | 1.21 | (0.88-1.65) | 1.12 | (0.77-1.62) | 0.96 | (0.58-1.58) | 0.78 | (0.39-1.56) |
| 76-100% of average | 1.33 | (0.93-1.89) | 1.50* | (1.06-2.11) | 1.15 | (0.76-1.74) | 0.85 | (0.48-1.50) | 0.90 | (0.43-1.91) |
| >100% of average | 1.52* | (1.10-2.09) | 1.36* | (1.00-1.85) | 1.22 | (0.84-1.76) | 0.0 | (0.48-1.34) | 0.44* | (0.20-0.93) |
| Residential Locatione | ||||||||||
| Mid-size city | 0.98 | (0.73-1.32) | 0.91 | (0.68-1.22) | 0.94 | (0.67-1.31) | 0.88 | (0.54-1.43) | 1.18 | (0.57-2.46) |
| Small-size city | 1.00 | (0.72-1.40) | 0.88 | (0.64-1.23) | 1.32 | (0.89-1.96) | 1.01 | (0.59-1.73) | 1.21 | (0.54-2.70) |
| Rural/remote area | 0.89 | (0.63-1.27) | 0.77 | (0.54-1.08) | 1.60* | (1.06-2.42) | 1.05 | (0.60-1.82) | 1.98 | (0.91-4.33) |
| Physical Healthf | ||||||||||
| Poor | 0.53 | (0.10-2.75) | 0.38 | (0.12-1.21) | 0.15* | (0.04-0.58) | ||||
| Average | 0.24 | (0.05-1.21) | 0.26* | (0.08-0.83) | 0.06* | (0.01-0.22) | ||||
| Good | 0.14* | (0.03-0.74) | 0.13* | (0.04-0.45) | 0.06* | (0.01-0.26) | ||||
| Excellent | 0.09* | (0.02-0.51) | 0.16* | (0.04-0.62) | 0.04* | (0.01-0.20) | ||||
| Mental Healthf | ||||||||||
| Poor | 0.55 | (0.10-3.16) | 1.23 | (0.28-5.46) | 4.49 | (0.59-34.11) | ||||
| Average | 0.70 | (0.12-4.02) | 0.90 | (0.20-4.12) | 4.42 | (0.55-35.56) | ||||
| Good | 0.82 | (0.14-4.79) | 1.21 | (0.26-5.65) | 2.84 | (0.33-24.40) | ||||
| Excellent | 0.79 | (0.13-4.70) | 0.94 | (0.18-4.80) | 4.97 | (0.53-47.01) | ||||
* p <0.05.
a "Adequate health literacy" is the comparison.
b The interval form of the variable, measured in year, is used.
c "Female" is the comparison.
d "≤50% of average" is the comparison.
e "Metropolitcan city" is the comparison.
f "Very poor" is the comparison.