Correlates of health literacy among latinos in Arkansas

Although research on acculturation and its effects on Latino health continue to grow, there is a dearth of knowledge on how acculturation levels shape health literacy. Health literacy is an important aspect of health to consider with the Latino population because a number of studies have found that this group has the lowest levels of health literacy in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine how acculturation and sociodemographic characteristics contribute to the health literacy of Latinos adults. Cross-sectional data was collected from a nonprobability sample of 123 Latinos living in various Arkansas communities. Multiple regression results suggest that Latinos who were more acculturated and were educated beyond high school were significantly more likely to have increased levels of health literacy. Findings also show that age, gender, income, and citizenship status were not significant predictors of health literacy. Implications and future research are discussed.