The Relationship of Social Vulnerability to HealthRelated Digital Practices - A Quantitative Analysis Based on the German LEO Literacy Assessment

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Đào

A quantitative study examines how digital health practices relate to the health outcomes of adults with low literacy skills using data from the German LEO assessment. Prior findings linking literacy and health are extended by analyzing the role of digital spaces in acquiring health knowledge and skills. Results indicate that low literacy skills have no strong direct effect on health status, while social vulnerability, including limited participation and low social recognition, strongly predicts subjectively perceived health.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Digital health practices and literacy

Social vulnerability and health outcomes

Literature Review

Literacy and adult basic proficiencies

Digitalization research and health

ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION SUMMER 2024 | [http://doi.org/10.35847/KSkowranek.KBuddeberg.KCafantaris.LHeilmann.6.2.18](http://doi.org/10.35847/KSkowranek.KBuddeberg.KCafantaris.LHeilmann.6.2.18) | | | --- | --- | | | Research Article | The Relationship of Social Vulnerability to HealthRelated Digital Practices: A Quantitative Analysis Based on the German LEO Literacy Assessment Kristin Skowranek, Hamburg University Klaus Buddeberg, Hamburg University Karola Cafantaris, Hamburg University Lisanne Heilmann, Bremen University Abstract A link between literacy and health has already been demonstrated in various national and international surveys. Previous research has shown that adults with low literacy are very frequent users of social media. Increasingly, people are gaining their health-related knowledge and skills by being in digital spaces and consuming health-related content across platforms. In this article, we explored the relationship between digital health practices and the health of people with low literacy skills using data from the German-based LEO assessment. We found that low literacy skills do not have a strong direct effect on health status, but social vulnerability, such as low social participation and low social recognition, has a strong effect on a person’s subjectively perceived health status. Keywords: literacy; vulnerability; health literacy; digital literacy International studies such as the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) or the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2019; OECD & Statistics Canada, 2011) have shown that health knowledge is linked to literacy in the sense of reading literacy (health-related literacy) . This link is particularly evident in the question of how knowledge and information are generated. During the COVID-19 pandemic, health information and medical treatment have increasingly moved into the digital space, for example in the form of video medical consultations. At the same time, health-related news and so-called fake news were disseminated through digital media, requiring skills to distinguish between real and fake information and legitimate knowledge providers. This example showed that low literacy and critical thinking skills can lead to exclusion from social participation and vulnerability in health issues (Heilmann & Grotlüschen, 2020) . At the same time, the digitalization of the (German) health care system is advancing, and dealing with it requires digital literacy (Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, 2023) . These examples show the relevance of questions of social participation/vulnerability when it comes to the intersection of literacy, health, and digitalization, as well as a current interest in further research in this area (fora brief introduction to the relationship between basic education and vulnerability see Gal et al., 2020) . Empirical results from an assessment of reading and writing skills in Germany (LEO 2018 – Living with Low Literacy; in the following: LEO 2018) have shown that adults with very limited reading and writing skills use social media more frequently than average. Moreover, social media is seen critically when it comes to the discourse about health and Correspondence: klaus. buddeberg@uni-hamburg. de 18 knowledge gain. Often, they are regarded negatively (e.g., fake news, COVID-19 infodemic) . Following on from this, we want to explore which digital platforms and formats (low literate) adults use when seeking information about health issues (or if they do not use them at all) . We want to take a closer look at the specific educational needs of adults with low reading and writing skills regarding health-related digital information and their social vulnerability (as shown by Heilmann & Grotlüschen, 2020) . The paper is based on a review of the research literature, as well as empirical data from LEO 2018. We link the concepts

FAQs

What dataset is used for the quantitative analysis?

The study uses data from the German-based LEO literacy assessment (LEO 2018).

Do low literacy skills directly affect health status in this study?

No. Low literacy skills do not show a strong direct effect on health status in the findings reported.

Which factor shows a strong impact on subjectively perceived health status?

Social vulnerability—such as low social participation and low social recognition—shows a strong effect on subjectively perceived health status.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Đào