Association between health literacy and dysphagia in the community-dwelling older population: a cross-sectional study

Background Dysphagia, or swallowing disorders, has become a growing concern due to the aging population, and health literacy plays a crucial role in active aging. However, the relationship between them remains unclear. Aims To investigate the association between health literacy and dysphagia among community-dwelling older adults in China. Methods A survey was conducted on 4462 older adults aged 65 and above in a community in Yiwu City, China, from May 2021 to January 2022. Swallowing problems were assessed using a 30 ml water swallowing test (WST) and the Eating Assessment Tool-10 questionnaire (EAT-10). The participants' health literacy was evaluated using the Chinese Health Literacy Scale (CHLS). Logistic regression and t tests were employed to measure the association between them. Results The prevalence of dysphagia was 5.70% and 7.85% as determined by EAT-10 and 30 ml-WST, respectively. The health literacy level of community-dwelling older adults was 24.4 ± 4.93 (9–45). Participants with dysphagia exhibited lower levels of health literacy ( p