Relationship among patients' perceived capacity for communication, health literacy, and diabetes self-care

Yee Man Angela Leung, Mike Kwun Ting Cheung, Iris Chi

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The mechanisms underlying the relations among health literacy, perceived capacity for communication, diabetes knowledge, and diabetes self-care are unclear. This study tested this relation using structural equation modeling with a sample of 137 Chinese patients 65 years of age or older with type 2 diabetes. The model showed that health literacy, knowledge, communication capacity, and diabetes self-care formed complex relations. After adjusting for age, education, and Chinese cultural influence, health literacy affected diabetes self-care indirectly through perceived capacity for communication (standardized estimate coefficient =.641, p <.001) but not diabetes knowledge. To enhance self-care, interventions should be tailored to increase patient health literacy and perceived capacity for communication with health care providers. Training should be provided to patients to enhance their communication abilities.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)161-172
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Health Communication
Volume19
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2014
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Communication
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Library and Information Sciences

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Relationship among patients' perceived capacity for communication, health literacy, and diabetes self-care'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this