Sex and age in relation to health and nutrition literacy levels in a sample of Greek adults

Poor Health Literacy (HL) and Nutrition Literacy (NL) are associated with negative health outcomes and they comprise an emerging field for health policy, practice and research. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sex and age in HL and NL levels in Greece. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the urban area of the Attica region. The sample consisted of 1281 individuals, aged >= 18 years. HL and NL were assessed via the European Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLS_EU_Q47) and the Greek version of the Nutrition Literacy Scale (NLS-Gr), respectively. Sociodemographic characteristics were also assessed. Sample's mean HL and NL were 32.28 +/- 8.28 and 22.11 +/- 5.68, respectively. Linear regression analysis revealed that both age and sex seem to affect HL and NL levels. Men, overall, had lower HL (p = 0.042) than women, but after controlling for education, NL and the existence of chronic disease, the difference was not significant. Individuals aged 56-65 had higher levels of HL (p = 0.023) than the youngest group. Males > 65 years old and females 56-65 years and > 65 years old, had significantly lower levels of NL (p < 0.001, p = 0.009, p < 0.001, respectively), in comparison to the younger groups. Age and sex seem to play a crucial role as predicting factors for HL and NL levels.