Health Literacy, Numeracy, and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Accordance Among Hypertensive Adults

Abstract

Background: Health literacy (HL) and health numeracy (HN), the ability to interpret and act on quantitative health information, are important for hypertension self-management such as limiting sodium intake. We examined associations of HL, HN, and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet accordance. Participants: Among 1,073 hypertensive adults enrolled in a Baltimore, Maryland–based cohort study, we performed a cross-sectional analysis. Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) measured HL and Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) numeracy score measured HN. Method: DASH accordance was based on nine key nutrients. Linear regression models estimated associations of HL and HN with DASH total and sodium score, inclusive of dietary supplement data. Results: In our sample, 39% of participants were male, 66% were Black, 40.2% lived in poverty, and 29.5% reported food insecurity. Fully, 32.5% had limited HL and 14.5% had limited HN. Mean DASH score overall was 2 (range = 0–7.5); only 6.9% were DASH accordant (score ≥4.5). In age and sex adjusted models, higher REALM was associated with a higher DASH score in the overall sample; the relationship of HN with DASH was statistically significant among White but not Black participants. Educational attainment appeared to explain both findings. There were no significant associations between HL or HN and DASH sodium scores. Conclusion: Differences in educational attainment explained the relation of higher HL and greater accordance to the DASH diet in a population of hypertensive adults. Understanding these factors is vital to reducing disparities in hypertension and its sequelae.