Lucija Mudrinic1, Martina Musa2, Boris Metikos3, Petra Rajkovic Vuletic1,4, Damir Sekulic1
1University of Split, Faculty of Kinesiology, Split, Croatia
2University of Mostar, Faculty of Science and Education, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
3Zagreb University of Applied Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia
4University of Zagreb, Faculty of Kinesiology, Zagreb, Croatia
Rethinking Sociodemographic Predictors of Physical Literacy and Health Literacy in Older Females
Sport Mont 2025, 23(2), Ahead of Print | DOI: 10.26773/smj.250612
Abstract
Health literacy (HL) and physical literacy (PL) are theoretically influenced by sociodemographic status, but studies rarely have examined this problem in older persons from southeastern Europe. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between certain sociodemographic indices and PL and HL in older females from Croatia. The sample of participants included 47 urban females (60-83 years of age) from southern Croatia. Sociodemographic factors included age (in years), educational level (elementary school level, high school education, college/university level), and socioeconomic status (below average, average, above average). The PL and HL were evaluated via standardized questionnaires (PL - Perceived Physical Literacy Questionnaire for Adults, HL - European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire). No significant correlation between age and total scores of HL and PL was detected (Pearson’s R=0.15 and 0.09 for HL-total and PL-total, respectively, p>0.05). The highest level of understanding of information related to health promotion was found in college/university educated participants (F test=3.34, p<0.05). PL competence was highest in participants with above-average socioeconomic status (F test=4.19, p<0.05). Despite some significant associations, sociodemographic factors were poorly related to the HL and PL status of older women. The results highlight that PLs and HLs are likely more strongly influenced by lifelong habits, accumulated experience, and consistent exposure to health systems and information.
Keywords
physical competence, health behavior, postmenopausal women, correlation
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