Health literacy and self-efficacy among diabetic patients: a literature review

Abstract

Purpose: High level of health literacy and self-efficacy are both important steps of managing diabetes successfully among diabetes patients. There are many factors that can influence the degree of diabetes patients' health literacy and self-efficacy. This study aims to review the influential factors of health literacy and self-efficacy and to investigate the relationship between these 2 constructs in patients with diabetes. Methods: The literature was searched from PubMed to Medline, using key words 'diabetes', 'diabetic', 'DM', 'T1DM', 'T2DM', 'health literacy', 'HL', 'common health literacy', 'diabetes health literacy', 'self-efficacy', 'general self-efficacy', 'diabetes self-efficacy', limited by MeSH terms and title and abstracts, and published from 31 September 1996 to 31 September 2015 covering 3 main aspects: (1) the influential factors of health literacy and self-efficacy among diabetic patients, (2) the potential outcomes of diabetes patients with low health literacy and self-efficacy, and (3) the possible relationship of health literacy and self-efficacy. Results: We reviewed 68 articles. Age, gender, educational level, socioeconomic status, household incomes, racial and ethnic differences were associated with health literacy, while age, social and family support, employment, other chronic diseases and racial and ethnic backgrounds were associated with self-efficacy. Diabetic patients with low health literacy or self-efficacy were found to have poor glycaemic control as well as high mobility and mortality. Although the literature showed significant association between health literacy and self-efficacy, their casual relationship was unclear. Conclusions: The reviewed studies were mostly conducted in Caucasian populations. Future study should be done to elucidate the differences in the relationship of health literacy and self-efficacy in different populations including Chinese. Further research can explore the possible links among other factors (such as culture) that influence health literacy and self-efficacy.

Purpose: High level of health literacy and self-efficacy are both important steps of managing diabetes successfully among diabetes patients. There are many factors that can influence the degree of diabetes patients' health literacy and self-efficacy. This study aims to review the influential factors of health literacy and self-efficacy and to investigate the relationship between these 2 constructs in patients with diabetes. Methods: The literature was searched from PubMed to Medline, using key words 'diabetes', 'diabetic', 'DM', 'T1DM', 'T2DM', 'health literacy', 'HL', 'common health literacy', 'diabetes health literacy', 'self-efficacy', 'general self-efficacy', 'diabetes self-efficacy', limited by MeSH terms and title and abstracts, and published from 31 September 1996 to 31 September 2015 covering 3 main aspects: (1) the influential factors of health literacy and self-efficacy among diabetic patients, (2) the potential outcomes of diabetes patients with low health literacy and self-efficacy, and (3) the possible relationship of health literacy and self-efficacy. Results: We reviewed 68 articles. Age, gender, educational level, socioeconomic status, household incomes, racial and ethnic differences were associated with health literacy, while age, social and family support, employment, other chronic diseases and racial and ethnic backgrounds were associated with self-efficacy. Diabetic patients with low health literacy or self-efficacy were found to have poor glycaemic control as well as high mobility and mortality. Although the literature showed significant association between health literacy and self-efficacy, their casual relationship was unclear. Conclusions: The reviewed studies were mostly conducted in Caucasian populations. Future study should be done to elucidate the differences in the relationship of health literacy and self-efficacy in different populations including Chinese. Further research can explore the possible links among other factors (such as culture) that influence health literacy and self-efficacy.