Health Literacy and Happiness: A Community-based Study |
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| Authors: | Erik Angner Midge N Ray Kenneth G Saag " target="_blank">Jeroan J Allison |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Philosophy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA;(2) Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics of Musculoskeletal Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA;(3) Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA;(4) Clinical and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK, USA;(5) School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA;(6) Division of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA;(7) Department of Finance, Economics, and Quantitative Methods, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA;(8) Division of General Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA |
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| Abstract: | The relationship between health literacy and happiness was explored using a cross-sectional survey of community-dwelling older primary-care patients. Health literacy status was estimated with the following previously validated question: “How confident are you in filling out medical forms by yourself?” Happiness was measured using an adapted Subjective Happiness Scale. Of all patients (n = 383), 62% were younger than 65, 28% were men, and 39% were African–American. In bivariate analysis, health literacy was positively correlated with happiness (Spearman’s ρ = 0.261; p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression revealed that lowest-quartile happiness was associated with poverty (OR: 2.25; 95% CI: 1.17–4.31), unfavorable self-rated health (OR: 4.16; 95% CI: 2.34–7.40), and lower health literacy (OR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.23–4.32). The results suggest that inadequate health literacy may be an obstacle to happiness above and beyond its effect on poverty and health, and offers partial support for the inclusion of general and health literacy scores in composite quality-of-life and human development indices. Though alternative explanations are possible, we speculate that the association between health literacy and happiness might be mediated by a sense of personal control. |
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