Health literacy and successful aging among elderly patients at Kasr Alainy Hospital: a cross-sectional comparative study
Abstract
Background: Population aging and chronic disease burden are increasing in Egypt. Health literacy (HL) may play a key role in promoting successful aging (SA), but evidence is limited.
Aim: To assess HL and SA and examine their association among elderly patients at Kasr Alainy Hospital.
Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study of 246 participants (123 patients with chronic diseases and 123 healthy controls) aged ≥ 65 years was conducted using the Health Literacy Questionnaire and Successful Aging Scale.
Results: Patients had significantly lower HL and SA scores than controls ( p < 0.001). HL was positively correlated with SA ( r = 0.612, p < 0.001) and remained the strongest independent predictor in regression analysis. Higher education and income improved SA, while age, rural residence, and smoking negatively affected it.
Conclusion: Future research should employ longitudinal designs, community-based probability sampling, fully validated Arabic versions of the instruments with reported psychometrics in the study population, and, ultimately, randomized evaluations of health-literacy interventions to establish whether improving HL improves successful-aging outcomes. Health literacy is strongly associated with successful aging among older adults in Egypt. Higher health literacy is associated with better aging outcomes; interventions to improve HL may therefore be beneficial.
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BibTeX
@article{ibrahim2026health,
title = {{Health literacy and successful aging among elderly patients at Kasr Alainy Hospital: a cross-sectional comparative study}},
author = {Hend Samy Ibrahim and Eman Ismail Raslan and Eman Hany Elsebaie},
journal = {BMC Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1186/s12889-026-29518-z},
url = {https://link.springer.com/10.1186/s12889-026-29518-z},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Health literacy and successful aging among elderly patients at Kasr Alainy Hospital: a cross-sectional comparative study
AU - Hend Samy Ibrahim
AU - Eman Ismail Raslan
AU - Eman Hany Elsebaie
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
JO - BMC Public Health
DO - 10.1186/s12889-026-29518-z
UR - https://link.springer.com/10.1186/s12889-026-29518-z
AB - Background: Population aging and chronic disease burden are increasing in Egypt. Health literacy (HL) may play a key role in promoting successful aging (SA), but evidence is limited. Aim: To assess HL and SA and examine their association among elderly patients at Kasr Alainy Hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study of 246 participants (123 patients with chronic diseases and 123 healthy controls) aged ≥ 65 years was conducted using the Health Literacy Questionnaire and Successful Aging Scale. Results: Patients had significantly lower HL and SA scores than controls ( p < 0.001). HL was positively correlated with SA ( r = 0.612, p < 0.001) and remained the strongest independent predictor in regression analysis. Higher education and income improved SA, while age, rural residence, and smoking negatively affected it. Conclusion: Future research should employ longitudinal designs, community-based probability sampling, fully validated Arabic versions of the instruments with reported psychometrics in the study population, and, ultimately, randomized evaluations of health-literacy interventions to establish whether improving HL improves successful-aging outcomes. Health literacy is strongly associated with successful aging among older adults in Egypt. Higher health literacy is associated with better aging outcomes; interventions to improve HL may therefore be beneficial.
SN - 1471-2458
ER -