Factors associated with patient activation in a socially deprived population: Evidence from Germany

•Gives insight into several factors associated with patient activation in a low socioeconomic status population•Finds that age, employment, linguistic acculturation, health status, and self-efficacy are associated with patient activation•Identifies self-efficacy as the relatively most important factor to explain variation in patient activation Patient activation has been identified as a crucial determinant of health, but little is known about its own determinants, particularly in low socioeconomic status populations. To address this research gap, we analyzed factors that might explain variation in patient activation in such a population. We conducted a cross-sectional patient survey (n = 582) in a low socioeconomic status urban district in Germany in 2017. Using multivariate linear regressions, we examined the association between patient activation and a range of psychological, sociodemographic, and health-related factors. To assess the relative importance of these factors, we used dominance analysis. Our results suggest that age, employment status, linguistic acculturation, health status, and self-efficacy were significantly associated with patient activation. Dominance analysis indicated that self-efficacy was the most important factor explaining variation in patient activation. Age, employment status, linguistic acculturation, health status, and self-efficacy are important determinants of patient activation. Our results can inform decision makers about approaches for more targeted and effective interventions to improve patient activation in low socioeconomic status populations. Much might be gained by investing in interventions that focus on age, employment status, linguistic acculturation, and health status. Interventions that improve self-efficacy may represent a particularly promising approach.