Asthma outcomes are poor among older adults with low health literacy

To examine the association of health literacy (HL) with asthma outcomes among older asthmatics.

The study included adults ages ≥60 with moderate to severe asthma in New York City and Chicago. We assessed asthma control with the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) and the percent predicted forced expiratory volume at 1 s (FEV1) by spirometry, hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits in the past 6 months, and quality of life. HL was assessed with the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA). Multivariate logistic regression models controlled for age, sex, race, income, general health and years with asthma.

Among 433 individuals, 36% had low HL, 55% were over age 65, 38% were Hispanic and 22% were black. Poor asthma control was reported by 40% and 32% had FEV1 <70% of predicted; 9% had a hospital stay, 23% had an ED and 38% had poor quality of life. In multivariable analysis, individuals with low HL were more likely to have FEV1 <70% predicted (odds ratio [OR] 2.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.39-3.94, p = 0.001), hospitalizations (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.17-5.49, p = 0.02) and ED visits for asthma (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.05-3.10, p = 0.03). There were no differences in self-reported asthma control and quality of life.

Low HL is associated with poor asthma control by objective measure, and greater likelihood of ED visits and hospitalization. HL is a modifiable target for interventions to improve asthma outcomes in the elderly.