Low health literacy among individuals with chronic disease in Kalaallit Nunaat: a cross-sectional study with implications for health literacy responsiveness.

Authors

Freja Kjær, Maja Hykkelbjerg Hald, Lotus Sofie Bast, Trine Louise Jul Larsen, Helene Nielsen

Published in

International journal of circumpolar health. Volume 85. Issue 1. Pages 2740304. Dec 31, 2026. Epub Oct 17, 2026.

Abstract

Chronic diseases are an increasing public health challenge in Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat), requiring self-management and navigation in healthcare information. Health Literacy (HL) refers to the ability to access, understand, and use health information. Low HL is prevalent in other Indigenous populations, negatively affecting self-care, health outcomes, mortality and contributing to social inequalities. Despite health inequalities in Kalaallit Nunaat, HL has not been quantitatively assessed. The aim was to investigate HL among individuals with chronic diseases in Kalaallit Nunaat and assess the HLS₁₉-Q12 questionnaire in Greenlandic (Kalaallisut). This cross-sectional study (25 February - 2 April 2025) included participants (≥18 years) with diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, obesity, and/or asthma. HL was assessed using the concise HLS₁₉-Q12 questionnaire in Kalaallisut and Danish. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). 230 individuals completed the questionnaire, including 28 retests. HL levels were categorised into four levels: inadequate 32.2%, problematic 50%, sufficient 12.4% and excellent 5.4%. The Kalaallisut HLS₁₉-Q12 demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.78-0.93) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.86; 95% CI: 0.71-0.94). Overall, 82.2% of participants had inadequate or problematic HL, highlighting the need for interventions to strengthen HL responsiveness in Kalaallit Nunaat.

PMID:
42891930
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 18 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.