An international comparison of the association among literacy, education, and health across the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, and Bermuda: implications for health disparities

Journal of Health Communication
Takashi Yamashita, Suzanne R Kunkel

Abstract

The relationship between education and health is well-established, but theoretical pathways are not fully understood. Economic resources, stress, and health behaviors partially explain how education influences health, but further study is needed. Previous studies show that health literacy mediates the education-health relationship, as do general literacy skills. However, little is known whether such mediation effects are consistent across different societies. This study analyzed data from the International Assessment of Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey conducted in Canada, the United States, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and Bermuda to investigate the mediation effects of literacy on the education-health relationship and the degree of such mediation in different cultural contexts. Results showed that literacy skills mediated the effect of education on health in all study locations, but the degree of mediation varied. This mediation effect was particularly strong in Bermuda. This study also found that different types of literacy skills are more or less important in each study location. For example, numeracy skills in the United States and prose (reading) literacy skills in Italy were stronger predictors of health than were ot...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jun 28, 2016·Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health·Gabriel D ShapiroSeungmi Yang
Dec 13, 2018·Research in Gerontological Nursing·Xibei B LiuJi Won Yoo
Dec 9, 2017·Maternal and Child Health Journal·Ying Meng, Susan W Groth
Aug 6, 2020·Journal of Clinical Medicine·Rhonda GaradSiew Lim
Aug 8, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·María Giner-MurilloVicent Balanzá-Martínez
Sep 2, 2021·Journal of Affective Disorders·Jose Cervera-MartínezVicent Balanzá-Martínez
Oct 19, 2021·Frontiers in Public Health·Joana Gomes da SilvaPedro Morgado

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