The association between health literacy and unmet medical needs by gender

Objectives: Understanding the factors influencing unmet medical needs (UMN) is crucial for developing effective interventions. This study aims to investigate the association between health literacy (HL) and UMN by gender. Study design: Quantitative survey analysis. Methods: We used data from the 2021 Korea Health Panel (KHP) with 10,073 participants. Variable of interest was HL, measured using the HLS-EU-Q16, and the dependent variable was an UMN, measured based on respondents' self-reported experiences of unmet medical needs due to financial or non-financial reasons over the past 12 months. First, the UMN experience was investigated, and then the reason for the occurrence was investigate. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between HL and UMN after adjusted. Results: UMN rates with problematic and inadequate HL were 12.7 % and 12.5 %, respectively, for males; and 14.3 % and 13.2 %, respectively, for females. HL was significantly associated with UMN among both male and female participants, with adjusted odds ratios of 1.37 and 1.85, respectively; and 1.46 and 1.50, respectively, for problematic and inadequate HL. The odds ratio of UMN was associated with low HL in the groups under 30 years of age for both men and women. The UMN odds ratio was also associated with high academic achievement and the non-exercise group with low HL. Conclusion: Low HL is associated with a higher likelihood of UMN. These findings emphasize the importance of improving HL to reduce the occurrence of UMN, warranting further research in this area.