Table 5 Proportions of the rated difficulties on the HLS-EU-Q16 items in Arabic speakers (n = 334) and Swedish speakers (n = 347)

 Find out where to get professional help when you are ill

50.9

13.4

< 0.001

 Find information on treatments of illness that concerns you

34.3

10.3

< 0.001

 Find information on how to manage mental health problems like stress or depression

47.8

32.5

< 0.001

 Find out about activities that are good for your mental health

15.4

10.3

0.049

 Understand your doctor’s or pharmacist’s instruction on how to take a prescribed medicine

17.4

2.6

< 0.001

 Understand health warnings about behaviour such as smoking, low physical activity, and drinking too much

16.0

4.1

< 0.001

 Understand why you need health screening

16.9

5.5

< 0.001

 Understand what the doctor says to you

30.5

7.6

< 0.001

 Understand information in the media on how to get healthier

25.8

16.1

0.002

 Understand advice on health from family members or friends

13.0

10.9

0.399

 Judge which everyday behaviour is related to your health

19.1

6.2

< 0.001

 Judge when you may need to get a second opinion from another doctor

58.5

45.0

< 0.001

 Judge if the information on health risks in the media is reliable

43.4

32.7

0.004

 Follow instruction from your doctor or pharmacist

14.8

2.1

< 0.001

 Use information the doctor gives you to make decisions about illness

37.9

21.0

< 0.001

 Decide how you can protect yourself from illness based on information in the media

26.2

28.4

0.532