The Relationship Between Health Literacy and Quality of Life Among Older Adults: A Quantitative Field Study in Ban Na Klang, Si Khit Subdistrict, Sichon District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

Abstract

This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to examine health literacy, quality of life, and relationship between health literacy and quality of life among 92 older adults in Ban Na Klang, Si Khit Sub-district, Sichon District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The research instrument was a five-part questionnaire consisting of: (1) general demographic information; (2) functional ability; (3) health knowledge; (4) health behaviors based on the “3Es and 2Ss” model (Eating, Exercise, Emotion, Smoking and Drinking alcohol); and (5) a quality of life assessment based on the World Health Organization’s conceptual framework. The questionnaire was validated by experts and its reliability was confirmed with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.72. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

The results revealed that overall health literacy was at a moderate level (M = 10.55, SD. = 7.93), while all individual components were at low levels: access to health information (M = 2.05), health communication (M = 2.98), self-management (M = 3.62), and media literacy (M = 1.90). In contrast, the overall quality of life was high (M = 80.95, SD. = 7.61), with high scores in physical, psychological, social relationships, and environmental domains. Notably, the self-management component showed a statistically significant relationship with quality of life (r = 0.641, p = 0.04), while other components did not demonstrate significant associations.

Based on these findings, it is recommended that health promotion interventions focus on enhancing self-management skills, improving media literacy, and creating health-supportive environment should be employed to sustainably improve quality of life of older adults in rural communities.