Health literacy after traumatic brain injury: characterisation and control comparison

Background: Little is known about health literacy in traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors. The aims of this study were to compare health literacy in individuals with TBI with that of a control group; to examine the association between health literacy in individuals with TBI and demographic, injury, and cognitive factors; and compare the relationship between health literacy and physical and mental health outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study design was used. Adults (≥18 years) were recruited from an outpatient research centre in Victoria, Australia. There were 209 participants with a complicated mild to severe TBI at least 1 year previously (up to 30 years 6 months) and 206 control participants. Results: Individuals with TBI did not have poorer health literacy than controls (IRR = 1.31, P = 0.102, CI_95% [0.947, 1.812]). Further analysis could not be completed due to the highly skewed Health Literacy Assessment Using Talking Touchscreen Technology-Short Form (Health LiTT-SF) data. Conclusion: Health literacy performance in individuals with TBI was not significantly different to controls. Premorbid education may provide a critical cognitive reserve upon which TBI survivors can draw to aid their health literacy. These findings are specific to the Health LiTT-SF measure only and require replication using more comprehensive health literacy measures in culturally diverse samples.