Premium
Evaluating self‐directed learning abilities as a prerequisite of health literacy among older people: Findings from a validation and a cross‐sectional study
Author(s) -
Cadorin Lucia,
Grassetti Luca,
Paoletti Eva,
Cara Angelisa,
Truccolo Ivana,
Palese Alvisa
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of older people nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.707
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1748-3743
pISSN - 1748-3735
DOI - 10.1111/opn.12282
Subject(s) - exploratory factor analysis , context (archaeology) , health literacy , cross sectional study , confirmatory factor analysis , psychology , scale (ratio) , gerontology , medicine , health care , literacy , exploratory research , clinical psychology , psychometrics , structural equation modeling , paleontology , statistics , physics , pedagogy , mathematics , pathology , quantum mechanics , economics , biology , economic growth , sociology , anthropology
Abstract Aims and objectives To validate a tool measuring self‐directed learning (SDL) abilities and to determine these abilities among older individuals attending the University of the Third Age. Background Health literacy (HL) and SDL abilities have been documented as being closely linked to each other and as prerequisites in enhancing self‐management competences required by older people to protect their health and to manage health issues. Furthermore, individuals with SDL abilities have been documented to have a full understanding of their health treatment prescriptions, to be able to demonstrate increased compliance and to further develop self‐care competences. Design A validation and a cross‐sectional study design. Methods A consecutive sample of 313 older people (68.7% female) who attended lessons in two Italian Universities of the Third Age and who were willing to participate in the study were enrolled. The Self‐Rating Scale of Self‐Directed Learning (SRSSDL) validated previously in the healthcare context, was used. Results At the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the SRSSDL in Older people (SRSSDL O ) has demonstrated good psychometric properties: the tool is composed by four factors (“Awareness,” “Attitudes,” “Availability” and “Motivation”) and 13 items. According to the findings, the average SDL score was 54.27 ± 6.69 out of 65, and women achieved significantly higher scores compared with men (54.81 ± 6.69 vs. 53.08 ± 6.54, p = .033), while participants with a university degree (55.95 ± 6.56) or secondary education (54.75 ± 6.13) had higher scores than those with lower secondary education (50.37 ± 7.34, p = .002). Conclusions Participants were responsible for their learning processes and were capable of identifying learning needs and goals. They were also internally motivated to develop learning methods and to organise learning activities. However, they were less able to keep up to date with the learning resources available. Implications for Practice The SRSSDL O can help nurses identify healthy older people that lack SDL abilities and design tailored educational interventions to prevent health conditions and/or promote self‐care management in chronic conditions.