TY - JOUR
T1 - Functional health literacy and the risk of hospital admission among Medicare managed care enrollees
AU - Baker, David W.
AU - Gazmararian, Julie A.
AU - Williams, Mark V.
AU - Scott, Tracy
AU - Parker, Ruth M.
AU - Green, Diane
AU - Ren, Junling
AU - Peel, Jennifer
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Objectives. This study analyzed whether inadequate functional health literacy is an independent risk factor for hospital admission. Methods. We studied a prospective cohort of 3260 Medicare managed care enrollees. Results. Of the participants, 29.5% were hospitalized. The crude relative risk (RR) of hospitalization was higher for individuals with inadequate literacy (n=800; RR= 1.43; 95% confidence interval [Cl]=1.24, 1.65) and marginal literacy (n=366; RR=1.33; 95% Cl=1.09, 1.61) than for those with adequate literacy (n=2094). In multivariate analysis, the adjusted relative risk of hospital admission was 1.29 (95% Cl=1.07, 1.55) for individuals with inadequate literacy and 1.21 (95% Cl=0.97, 1.50) for those with marginal literacy. Conclusions. Inadequate literacy was an independent risk factor for hospital admission among elderly managed care enrollees.
AB - Objectives. This study analyzed whether inadequate functional health literacy is an independent risk factor for hospital admission. Methods. We studied a prospective cohort of 3260 Medicare managed care enrollees. Results. Of the participants, 29.5% were hospitalized. The crude relative risk (RR) of hospitalization was higher for individuals with inadequate literacy (n=800; RR= 1.43; 95% confidence interval [Cl]=1.24, 1.65) and marginal literacy (n=366; RR=1.33; 95% Cl=1.09, 1.61) than for those with adequate literacy (n=2094). In multivariate analysis, the adjusted relative risk of hospital admission was 1.29 (95% Cl=1.07, 1.55) for individuals with inadequate literacy and 1.21 (95% Cl=0.97, 1.50) for those with marginal literacy. Conclusions. Inadequate literacy was an independent risk factor for hospital admission among elderly managed care enrollees.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036311928&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2105/AJPH.92.8.1278
DO - 10.2105/AJPH.92.8.1278
M3 - Article
C2 - 12144984
AN - SCOPUS:0036311928
SN - 0090-0036
VL - 92
SP - 1278
EP - 1283
JO - American journal of public health
JF - American journal of public health
IS - 8
ER -