Low Literacy Boosts Death Threat in Elderly

Low literacy almost doubles the five-year risk of mortality among elderly people, regardless of education, socioeconomic status, or health, according to a new study.

Researchers at several locations, including the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center (SFVAMC, CA, USA), analyzed data on 2,512 participants in the health, aging, and body composition study that was conducted by the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA, Bethesda, MD, USA) from 1999-2004. Study subjects, aged 70-79, lived independently in the community in Memphis (TN, USA) or Pittsburgh (PA, USA). The study excluded participants with dementia or poor physical functioning.

Among participants with limited literacy--defined as a reading level of less than ninth grade--the death rate was 20%. Among all others, the death rate was 11%. After taking into account gender, race, socioeconomic status, education, health status, health care access, and health-related behaviors, the authors concluded that limited literacy increased the risk of death by a factor of 1.75. Only two other factors had a stronger association with mortality, according to the study; self-reported poor health increased mortality risk 2.17 times, and being a current smoker increased the risk of death 3.09 times. The study was published in the August 2006 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

"Many studies have shown that people with lower socioeconomic status have higher mortality rates,” said lead author Rebecca Sudore, M.D., a staff physician at SFVAMC and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California (San Francisco, USA). "It could be that people with limited literacy have fewer economic opportunities, lower paying jobs, and lower socioeconomic status overall.”

"Poor literacy appears to have long-lasting effects on patients' health. This is yet just one more reason why improving the educational system in the U.S. [United States] is so important,” warned Dr. Sudore, who noted that low literacy might have profound implications for the public health system.



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San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center