Characterization and Analysis of Health Literacy and Adherence to the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern in Senior University Students
Introduction: Low Health Literacy is associated with worse health outcomes, especially in the elderly, an age group with high representation in Portugal. Diet is another factor that influences health outcomes and is essential for healthy aging. Thus, these are two relevant concepts for monitoring and intervention by health professionals. Purpose: To verify if there is a correlation between the Health Literacy levels and the level of Adherence to the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern in students from Senior Universities and to analyze the possible impact of sociodemographic factors on these variables. Materials and Methods: The study sample was constituted by 114 students registered in Portuguese Senior Universities, in the Central Zone and Metropolitan Area of Lisbon. Participants were aged between 54 and 88 years old, with 79 individuals being female and the remaining 35 male. It was applied to a sociodemographic questionnaire, the PREDIMED questionnaire, to assess adherence to the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern, and the HLS-EU-PT questionnaire to assess the level of health literacy. For statistical treatment, SPSS software version 27.0 was used. Results: There were no significant results, however it was verified that most participants had a “problematic” level of Health Literacy and “low adherence” to the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern. Conclusions: It is necessary to carry out more studies on this topic and more Health Education Programs, in order to highlight their needs and advantages, with the aim of promoting the population’s health.
