The Impact of Patient Health Literacy on Disease Control in Type 2 Diabetes: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

Health literacy (HL) is crucial in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), affecting patient outcomes and treatment adherence. Despite its importance, the specific impact of HL on glycemic control remains inconclusive, particularly in Qatar, a country with very high T2DM prevalence. This study aimed to investigate the role of HL as a predictor of disease control among T2DM patients in Qatar.

This cross-sectional study recruited a random sample of adults with T2DM from the largest healthcare electronic system in the country. Participants were interviewed using a multicomponent questionnaire that included the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16) and data on demographic and clinical variables. HbA1c <7% was used to define disease control. In addition to bivariate analyses, hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between sociodemographic, clinical variables, HL, and glycemic control.

Among the 450 recruited patients, 55.3% had uncontrolled disease. HL was significantly associated with glycemic control; higher HL scores correlated with lower HbA1c levels with a Spearman's correlation coefficient of -0.624, p < 0.001. Hierarchical logistic regression revealed that HL was a significant predictor of disease control (AOR: 2.192, p < 0.001), after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical variables.

HL is a key predictor of glycemic control in T2DM patients. Routine HL assessment should be part of diabetes care. Tailored interventions targeting low HL warrant investigation to improve outcomes. Further research is needed to address the effects of low HL in this group.