Older Adult Perspectives towards Health Literacy and Knowledge of Chronic Diseases in Nepal: A case study

Background: The individual level of health literacy directly affects the health outcomes of any people. Older adult people are more vulnerable to chronic diseases than other groups of people. Also they have low health literacy and poor understanding of diseases than any other age group of people. Aim: This study aim is to explore older adult perspectives towards health literacy and knowledge of chronic diseases. Methods: The study was taken during December 2019 in the Budhanilkantha Municipality of Kathmandu district of Nepal. Semi-structured interview was conducted in four older adult participants with chronic diseases. It included health knowledge, level of understanding of chronic disease conditions, and the use of health services. Inductive analysis was followed for the patterns, themes, and categories of analysis to emerge. Results: Health literacy and knowledge of chronic diseases, health belief system, and experience of health problems were the emerging themes included here. The study results finds that lack of disease knowledge, low health literacy, health belief system, socio-economic, and cultural factors were influencing factors to chronic diseases among older adults. Participants had a minor knowledge of chronic diseases; they had lack in knowledge regarding their own chronic diseases. Conclusion: Health literacy is an important factor of understanding, accessing and utilizing health knowledge and health services. It is most important that the health literacy of the people is necessary to improve for positive health and gaining the knowledge of chronic diseases. To overcome the chronic health problems it is most important to improve the health knowledge, understanding of chronic diseases, and literacy level to the older adult people