The Role of Health Literacy in Osteoporosis Knowledge and Disease Self-Management Behaviors Among Patients with Osteoporosis

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between health literacy and osteoporosis knowledge and disease self-management behaviors among patients with osteoporosis.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional correlational study was conducted over a six-month period in the physical medicine and rehabilitation department of a university hospital in Türkiye. The study sample consisted of 320 patients diagnosed with osteoporosis. Data were collected using a Patient Information Form, the Health Literacy Scale (HLS), and the Revised Osteoporosis Knowledge Test (R-OKT). Descriptive statistics (number, percentage distribution), Pearson’s correlation analysis, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis analysis, independent samples t-test, and multiple regression analysis were used for data analysis.Results: The mean age of the participants was 56.34±9.69 years, and 90% of the participants were female. Female gender, higher educational level, younger age, shorter duration since diagnosis, and absence of additional chronic diseases explained 20.5% of the variance in health literacy among patients with osteoporosis. Furthermore, health literacy levels were found to have a significant effect on patients’ knowledge of osteoporosis and their disease self-management behaviors.Conclusion: The findings indicate that health literacy is an important determinant of disease-related knowledge and self-management behaviors in patients with osteoporosis. Therefore, it is recommended that nurses and other healthcare professionals assess health literacy levels in individuals with chronic diseases and implement interventions aimed at improving patients’ health literacy.