Associations between health literacy and preventive health behaviors among older adults: findings from the health and retirement study

Table 3 Multivariate adjusted association of adequate objective health literacy with health perceptions and behaviors

Health perceptions	Adjusted^a OR^b	CI	P
Perceived control over health	β(SE)–0.14 ± 0.21	βs–0.02	0.52
Perceived social standing	β(SE)–0.12 ± 0.17	βs–0.03	0.47
Perceived healthcare discrimination	1.04	(0.59–1.84)	0.90
Perceptions of colon cancer (correct)
Risk of diagnosis	1.89	(0.90–3.96)	0.09
Perceived risk of death	1.75	(0.83–3.68)	0.14
Perceived benefit of screen	1.72	(0.98–3.02)	0.06
Health Behaviors
Flu immunization	0.93	(0.58–1.51)	0.78
Cholesterol testing	1.72	(0.86–3.44)	0.12
Mammography	1.54	(0.74–3.21)	0.25
Breast self-exam	0.37	(0.19–0.73)	0.004
Prostate examination	1.02	(0.50–2.10)	0.95
Current tobacco use	0.46	(0.23–0.91)	0.025
Moderate physical activity	0.94	(0.61–1.46)	0.79
Vigorous physical activity	0.93	(0.59–1.46)	0.75

^aAdjusted for age, gender, race, and education
^bLogistic regression unless otherwise noted with a β (SE). β; unstandardized slope coefficient. βs; standardized slope coefficient. SE; Standard Error

ISSN: 1471-2458