노인 슬관절치환술 환자의 건강문해력에 따른 관절운동지식과 자가관리행위 차이

Differences in Joint Exercise Knowledge and Self-Management Behavior according to Health Literacy of Elderly Knee Arthroplasty Patients

Purpose: A descriptive research study was conducted to investigate health literacy among elderly knee arthroplasty patients and to confirm the difference between acting on joint exercise knowledge (JEK) and self-management behavior (SMB) based on health literacy (HL). Methods: From July to August 2020, 141 elderly people aged 65 years and above, who were diagnosed with degenerative knee arthritis and had undergone knee arthroplasty at S Hospital in G-City were investigated. Data on JEK, SMB, and HL were gathered through a survey. The data collected were statistically processed using SPSS/WIN 26.0 and analyzed using descriptive statistics and the 2- and t-tests. Results: By gender, 117 (83.0%) respondents were female. The average age was 73.64±5.36 years. There was a significant difference in the level of HL based on gender (2=13.70, p ＜.001), age (t=4.82, p ＜.001), education (2=40.36, p ＜.001), and cohabitation (2=4.09, p =.043). The JEK was 5.86±2.66 and 8.16±1.92 points for groups with low and high HL, respectively, and there was a significant difference (t=−5.97, p ＜.001). The SMB was 3.29±0.42 and 3.78±0.46 points for groups with low and high HL, respectively, and there was a significant difference (t=−6.65, p ＜.001). Conclusion: This study highlighted the difference between JEK and SMB among elderly knee arthroplasty patients based on their HL. It is necessary to consider HL while conducting joint exercise and self-management programs for elderly patients who have undergone knee arthroplasty surgery.