Limited Health Literacy Is Associated With Worse Patient-Reported Outcomes in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Public Health
• Health Literacy Research

Background:

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients face complex health management challenges.
• Limited health literacy is a known risk factor for adverse health outcomes.
• The impact of health literacy on IBD patients has not been previously studied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the role and impact of health literacy in patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Main Methods:

• Prospective enrollment of 99 adult IBD patients at Boston Medical Center.
• Administration of standardized questionnaires to measure health literacy, self-efficacy, quality of life, and depression.
• Assessment of clinical disease activity using validated indices for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Main Results:

• 40% of IBD patients exhibited limited health literacy.
• Limited health literacy correlated with poorer overall health and increased depressive symptoms.
• Adequate health literacy was associated with higher remission rates in Crohn's disease patients (OR, 4.15; P = 0.01).

Conclusions:

• Limited health literacy is prevalent in IBD patients and linked to negative health perceptions and increased depression.
• Health literacy appears to influence disease activity, particularly in Crohn's disease patients.
• Interventions to improve health literacy may benefit IBD patient outcomes.