Characteristics of the sample stratified by the functional health literacy level
| Characteristics | Total (n=129) | Functional health literacy level | p Value* | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illiterate (n=15) | Inadequate (n=58) | Adequate (n=56) | |||
| Age, mean (SD), years | 75.9 (6.2) | 78.2 (6.3) | 75.9 (5.9) | 75.3 (6.4) | 0.280 |
| Female gender, No. (%) | 90 (69.8) | 14 (93.3) | 37 (63.8) | 39 (69.6) | 0.074 |
| White race, No. (%) | 61 (47.9) | 4 (26.7) | 21 (36.2) | 36 (64.3) | 0.003 |
| Education, median (IQR), years | 4 (2–8) | 0 (0–0) | 4 (3–4) | 7.5 (4–11) | <0.001 |
| Economic level (BECC score), mean (SD) | 19.9 (6.2) | 16.4 (5.8) | 19.2 (5.5) | 21.7 (6.5) | 0.006 |
| Manual occupation, No. (%) | 67 (51.9) | 14 (93.3) | 30 (51.7) | 23 (41.1) | 0.001 |
| Married, No. (%) | 42 (32.6) | 1 (6.7) | 19 (32.8) | 22 (39.3) | 0.057 |
| Assistance with medications, No. (%) | 22 (17.1) | 5 (33.3) | 10 (17.2) | 7 (12.5) | 0.200 |
| Diabetes knowledge (SKILLD), mean (SD) | 4.2 (2.6) | 2.5 (2.6) | 3.5 (2.2) | 5.3 (2.6) | <0.001 |
| Health literacy (SAHLPA-18), median (IQR) | 13 (10–16) | 0 (0–0) | 11.5 (10–13) | 16 (15–17) | <0.001 |
| Depressive symptoms (GDS-15), median (IQR) | 3 (1–5) | 4 (2.3–5.8) | 3 (1–5) | 2 (1–4.5) | 0.170 |
| Insulin containing regimen, No. (%) | 41 (31.8) | 6 (40.0) | 18 (31.0) | 17 (30.4) | 0.772 |
| Diabetes duration, median (IQR), years | 10 (5–20) | 20 (7.3–20) | 10 (5–19) | 12 (4.5–20) | 0.365 |
| HbA1c, mean (SD) | 7.2 (1.4) | 6.8 (1.1) | 7.6 (1.6) | 7.0 (1.1) | 0.034 |
| LDL cholesterol, mean (SD) | 110.5 (36.5) | 105.7 (29.6) | 108.3 (38.5) | 114.1 (36.3) | 0.605 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mean (SD) | 143.1 (23.5) | 147.3 (23.8) | 142.9 (23.7) | 142.0 (23.6) | 0.741 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mean (SD) | 79.4 (10.8) | 78.0 (12.1) | 79.7 (7.9) | 79.5 (13.1) | 0.866 |
| Any microvascular complication, No. (%) | 33 (25.6) | 3 (20.0) | 18 (31.0) | 12 (21.4) | 0.468 |
| Retinopathy, No. (%) | 16 (12.4) | 0 (0) | 10 (17.2) | 6 (10.7) | 0.210 |
| Nephropathy, No. (%) | 17 (13.2) | 1 (6.7) | 9 (15.5) | 7 (12.5) | 0.813 |
| Neuropathy, No. (%) | 15 (11.6) | 3 (20.0) | 6 (10.3) | 6 (10.7) | 0.538 |
| Any macrovascular complication, No. (%) | 37 (28.7) | 5 (33.3) | 20 (34.5) | 12 (21.4) | 0.262 |
| Cerebrovascular disease, No. (%) | 15 (11.6) | 0 (0) | 10 (17.2) | 5 (8.9) | 0.142 |
| Coronary artery disease, No. (%) | 17 (13.2) | 4 (26.7) | 9 (15.5) | 4 (7.1) | 0.092 |
| Peripheral artery disease, No. (%) | 11 (8.5) | 2 (13.3) | 6 (10.3) | 3 (5.4) | 0.451 |
*The Fisher exact test was used for categorical variables, analysis of variance for means of continuous variables and Kruskal-Wallis test for medians of continuous variables.
BECC, Brazilian Economic Classification Criterion; GDS-15, 15-Item Geriatric Depression Scale; HbA1c, glycosylated haemoglobin; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; SAHLPA-18, 18-item Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Portuguese-speaking Adults; SKILLD, Spoken Knowledge in Low Literacy patients with Diabetes.