Health Literacy and Early Physical Activity After Solid Organ Transplantation: A Prospective Observational Study

Area of Science:

• Transplantation Medicine
• Public Health
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Physical activity (PA) is crucial for post-transplant recovery and quality of life.
• Many solid organ transplant recipients struggle to maintain activity levels during early recovery.
• Health literacy (HL) may significantly impact post-transplant health behaviors and adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between functional health literacy (HL) and physical activity (PA) levels in solid organ transplant recipients.
• To identify factors influencing PA engagement in the early recovery phase post-transplantation.
• To inform the development of targeted interventions for post-transplant rehabilitation.

Main Methods:

• Prospective observational study of kidney, liver, and lung transplant recipients.
• Functional HL assessed using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA).
• Weekly PA measured via interview and categorized against WHO recommendations (≥150 min/week).
• Multivariable logistic regression analyzed the association between HL and PA, controlling for covariates.

Main Results:

• 45.8% of recipients met recommended weekly PA levels two months post-discharge.
• Higher functional HL was independently associated with achieving recommended PA levels (OR: 1.09; p=0.01).
• PA engagement was not significantly associated with age, sex, education, depression history, or transplant type.

Conclusions:

• Achieving guideline-recommended PA is feasible for nearly half of transplant recipients in early recovery.
• Functional HL is a key independent predictor of PA engagement post-transplantation.
• Literacy-sensitive strategies should be integrated into post-transplant rehabilitation programs to improve patient outcomes.