Health literacy: relationship with the perception of family functioning

Health Literacy (HL) is influenced by health systems, education, the media, family, work environment, community and health policy decisions. The aim of the study is to analyze the relationship between the level of HL and the perception of family functioning (FF) on the selected sample.

This is a descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, based on a sample comprised of 364 users of a Family Health Unit, in the north of Portugal. Data was obtained through the application of an online questionnaire, and analyzed using SPSS software, using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The largest group of users had a HL level classified as sufficient or problematic, both at 35.7 %. The majority (76.4 %) considered themselves a highly functional family. The statistical mean of the general HL Index differed between users with different perception of FF (ANOVA: p=0.031), with users who perceived their family as highly functional obtaining the highest score.

We found that HL is related to FF, and families that perceive themselves as highly functional families have a higher level of HL, reinforcing the relevance of interventions aimed at promoting family functioning.