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American Public Health Association
133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition
December 10-14, 2005
Philadelphia, PA
APHA 2005
 
3159.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - Board 3

Abstract #105854

Role of Health Literacy in Health Outcomes: A Study of Obesity and Depression

Jana J. Peterson, MPH, Dept. of Community & Behavioral Health, University of Iowa, 1215 Westlawn, Iowa City, IA 52242, 319-335-8332, jana-peterson@uiowa.edu, John B. Lowe, MPH, DrPH, FAHPA, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, The University of Iowa, E225A General Hospital, Iowa City, IA 52242, and N. Andrew Peterson, PhD, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Iowa - College of Public Health, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242.

A number of studies have demonstrated links between health literacy and both disease-related knowledge and general health status. However, few studies have demonstrated a relationship between health literacy and status of specific disease states. No studies have been reported in the literature to link levels of health and health-related behaviors such as smoking, physical activity, and nutrition. A literature review revealed no empirical studies demonstrating a relationship between health literacy and either obesity or weight-related health behaviors such as caloric consumption or physical activity. Although the literature review did demonstrate a relationship between health literacy and depression, authors have concluded that this relationship is not significant after controlling for other variables. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between health literacy and obesity and depression, two common health outcomes for which the relevance of health literacy has been assumed. The study participants were a randomly selected sample of rural residents (n=407) from the Midwestern U.S. The independent variable in present investigation was health literacy, measured with the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM). The dependent variables were obesity, determined via anthropometric measurement of body mass index, and depression, measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Results demonstrated significant relationships between health literacy, obesity, and depression. The impact of these results will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, a participant will be able to