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Health literacy and happiness: A community-based study
Erik Angner1,2,3, Michael J Miller4, Midge N Ray2,3,5
1University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Philosophy and Department of Finance, Economics, and Quantitative Methods.
Social Indicators Research
|January 16, 2026
Summary
Higher health literacy is linked to greater happiness in older adults. This suggests that improving health literacy may enhance well-being and personal control, even beyond better health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Health literacy is crucial for navigating healthcare.
- Understanding factors influencing happiness in older adults is important for public health initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the relationship between health literacy and happiness in community-dwelling older adults.
- To identify factors associated with lower happiness in this population.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey of 383 older primary-care patients.
- Health literacy assessed via confidence in filling out medical forms.
- Happiness measured using an adapted Subjective Happiness Scale.
Main Results:
- Health literacy positively correlated with happiness (Spearman's ρ = .261; p < .001).
- Lowest happiness quartile associated with poverty, poor self-rated health, and lower health literacy (ORs ranging from 2.25 to 4.16).
Conclusions:
- Inadequate health literacy may hinder happiness independently of poverty and health status.
- Findings support including health literacy in quality-of-life indices.
- A sense of personal control may mediate the link between health literacy and happiness.
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