Health literacy, nutrition knowledge, and health care transition readiness in youth with chronic kidney disease or hypertension: A cross-sectional study

Yi Zhong; Nikita Patel; Maria Ferris; Eniko Rak

doi:10.1177/1367493519831493

Health literacy, nutrition knowledge, and health care transition readiness in youth with chronic kidney disease or hypertension: A cross-sectional study

J Child Health Care. 2020 Jun;24(2):246-259. doi: 10.1177/1367493519831493. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Authors

Yi Zhong¹, Nikita Patel², Maria Ferris³, Eniko Rak⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Economics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
² School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
³ Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
⁴ Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

PMID: 30866644
DOI: 10.1177/1367493519831493

Abstract

This study evaluates the associations of nutrition knowledge and health literacy with health care transition (HCT) readiness and self-management in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or hypertension. Chronically ill AYAs with poor HCT or self-management skills are less likely to achieve favorable health outcomes as they enter adulthood. Health literacy and nutrition knowledge, which are identified as important contributors to health outcomes, may suggest important points of interventions to improve self-management skills. For the study, we enrolled 59 consecutive patients ages 12-29, with a diagnosis of CKD or hypertension at pediatric- and adult-focused clinics in the United States. Participants completed measures of nutrition knowledge, health literacy, and the Self-management and Transition to Adulthood with R_x = treatment (STAR_x) questionnaire. Correlation tests and multivariate regressions were employed for data analysis. The findings show that health literacy was positively associated with self-management skills (p = .050), communication with providers (p = .002) and overall HCT (p = .001) after adjusting for key variables. Disease-specific nutrition knowledge positively predicted communication with providers (p = .002) and overall HCT (p < .001) after adjusting for key variables. Therefore, health literacy and nutrition knowledge predicted self-management and transition readiness. Testing for these skills should be considered in clinics and HCT preparation for AYAs with chronic conditions.

Keywords: CKD; health care transition readiness; health literacy; hypertension; nutrition knowledge; self-management.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Literacy*
Humans
Hypertension / drug therapy*
Male
Nutrition Policy*
Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / therapy*
Self-Management
Surveys and Questionnaires
Transition to Adult Care / statistics & numerical data*
United States
Young Adult