Self-rated health literacy is associated with exercise frequency among adults aged 50+ in Ireland

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-rated health literacy and self-reported exercise frequency among people aged 50+ in Ireland.

Methods: Data were from the European Health Literacy Survey (2011) a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of adults aged 15+ from eight countries. Health literacy was measured using composite indices (0-50, low to high) in three domains: healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion. Participants reported how often they exercised for 30 min or longer in the month prior to survey. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between exercise frequency (almost daily activity vs. weekly or less) and health literacy among participants aged 50+ in Ireland (n = 389). All models were fully adjusted for age, gender, employment status, marital status, social status, education, financial deprivation and having a physically limiting illness.

Results: An increased odds of exercising almost daily was associated with understanding disease prevention (OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.03-1.35) and health promotion information (OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.01-1.32) and accessing (OR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.00-1.29) and evaluating health promotion information (OR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.00-1.26) with ease.

Conclusions: Public health approaches to promoting exercise often include providing information about the benefits of regular exercise, promoting affordable options and enhancing the accessibility of the built environment. Public health policy should also consider measures to improve interactive health literacy skills in order to achieve positive behavioural change.