Functional health literacy in chronic kidney disease patients: a challenge in the preventive approach

Objective: To identify the prevalence of functional health literacy and analyze the association between functional health literacy levels and clinical and sociodemographic variables in non-dialysis chronic kidney disease patients.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out with 167 chronic kidney disease patients being monitored at the nephrology outpatient clinic of a large city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. For the interviews, a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire and the Brazilian version of the Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Portuguese Speaking Adults (SAHLPA-18) were used to measure functional health literacy. Descriptive statistics were performed for sociodemographic and clinical variables, and correlation tests and linear regression models for association with functional health literacy.Results: Most participants were older adults with a median age of 68 years, 33.3% (56 patients) were in stage 3B of chronic kidney disease and 53.9% (90 patients) had inadequate functional health literacy. There was no association between functional health literacy levels and clinical variables. The majority reported not using the internet and the more advanced stage of chronic kidney disease had lower literacy scores. Worse functional health literacy scores were also identified in those with lower income.Conclusion: Most participants had inadequate functional health literacy. Clinical variables were not predictors of literacy scores. However, lower health literacy scores were identified in those with more advanced stage kidney disease, lower income and less internet use.