A nomogram for predicting the infectious disease-specific health literacy of older adults in China

Asian Nurs Res (Korean Soc Nurs Sci). 2024 Apr 17:S1976-1317(24)00034-3. doi: 10.1016/j.anr.2024.04.002. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Purpose: To identify the predictors of infectious disease-specific health literacy (IDSHL), and establish an easy-to-apply nomogram to predict the IDSHL of older adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 380 older adults who completed the IDSHL, self-rated health, sociodemographic and other questionnaires. Logistic regression was used to identify the IDSHL predictors. Nomogram was used to construct a predictive model.

Results: Up to 70.1% of older adults had limited IDSHL. Age, education, place of residence, self-rated health, and Internet access were the important influencing factors of IDSHL. The established nomogram model showed high accuracy (receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.848).

Conclusions: The IDSHL of Chinese older adults was significantly deficient. The constructed nomogram is an intuitive tool for IDSHL prediction that can not only contribute towards rapid screening of high-risk older adults with limited IDSHL but also provide guidance for healthcare providers to develop prevention strategies for infectious diseases.

Keywords: aged; communicable diseases; health literacy; nomograms.