Ethnic Differences in Health Literacy, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Management in Patients Treated With Maintenance Hemodialysis

BACKGROUND: There is a gap in research investigating the potential impact of ethnicity on health literacy, self-efficacy, and self-management in patients treated with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). OBJECTIVE: To explore (1) the associations between health literacy, self-efficacy, and self-management among outpatients with kidney failure receiving treatment with MHD, and (2) the differences in health literacy and self-efficacy based on characteristics of ethnicity (ie, physical resemblance and proficiency in the language of the host population), known to be associated with health care access and health outcomes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional SETTING: Outpatients receiving MHD at 7 adult hemodialysis centers in Calgary, Alberta from September 2014 to December 2014. PATIENTS: Participants were grouped into 2 groups based on a proposed 4-quadrant framework of a multicultural society. Quadrant 1 comprised outpatients with physical resemblance and first language of the host population (ie, white and English as a first language), whereas quadrant 4 participants comprised outpatients with physical resemblance and first language not of the host population (ie, non-white and first language other than English). A total of 78 patients (n(Q1) = 44, n(Q4) = 34) were included. MEASUREMENTS: Heath literacy, self-efficacy, and self-management were measured using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ), Strategies Used by People to Promote Health (SUPPH), and Patient Activation Measure-13 (PAM-13), respectively. METHODS: Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants at each of the 7 adult hemodialysis centers. All participants completed a study package, which included a demographic questionnaire, HLQ, SUPPH, and PAM-13. Spearman rho was calculated to identify correlations between patient activation level and HLQ and SUPPH scores. Independent t tests were performed to identify differences in HLQ and SUPPH scores between Q1 and Q4 participants. Stepwise regression was performed in other analyses to identify predictor variables of patient activation level. RESULTS: Statistically significant correlations were identified between patient activation level and the health literacy domains of “ability to actively engage with health care providers” (r(HLQ6)= .535, P < .001), “ability to find good health information” (r(HLQ8) = .611, P < .001), and “understanding health information well enough to know what to do” (r(HLQ9) = .712, P < .001). There was a statistically significant difference between Q1 and Q4 participants in the health literacy domain of “ability to find good health information” (P = .048). “Understanding health information well enough to know what to do” and “actively managing health” were included in the final stepwise regression model, F(2, 72) = 32.232, P < .001. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design limits the generalizability of the results. The small sample size limits the power to identify significant associations and differences. Although English was not the first language of Q4 participants, all were proficient in English, meaning potential differences of a key subgroup of Q4 (ie, those who did not speak any English) were not captured. CONCLUSION: The HLQ allowed for the creation of a health literacy profile of patients with end-stage kidney disease receiving treatment with MHD. The findings suggest possible associations between specific domains of health literacy and patient activation. Outpatients’ representative of Q4 receiving treatment with MHD appear to struggle more with finding good health information, which may leave them at a disadvantage in the early phases of their self-management efforts. The findings highlight potential opportunities to better tailor patient care to support patients in their self-management, particularly for patients from ethnic minority backgrounds.