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- Health Literacy among Older Adults in Portugal and Associated Sociodemographic, Health and Healthcare-Related FactorsPublication . Costa, Andreia; Feteira-Santos, Rodrigo; Alarcão, Violeta; Henriques, Maria Adriana; Madeira, Teresa; Virgolino, Ana; Arriaga, Miguel; Nogueira, PauloAlthough the health literacy level of the general population was described recently, little is known about its specific levels among older adults in Portugal. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the levels of health literacy demonstrated by older adults in Portugal and explore associated factors. Using a randomly generated list of telephone numbers, adults aged 65 years or more living in mainland Portugal were contacted in September and October 2022. Sociodemographic, health and healthcare-related variables were collected, and the 12-item version of the European Health Literacy Survey Project 2019–2021 was used to measure health literacy. Then, binary logistic regression models were used to investigate factors associated with limited general health literacy. In total, 613 participants were surveyed. The mean level of general health literacy was (59.15 ± 13.05; n = 563), whereas health promotion (65.82 ± 13.19; n = 568) and appraising health information (65.16 ± 13.26; n = 517) were the highest scores in the health literacy domain and the dimension of health information processing, respectively. Overall, 80.6% of respondents revealed limited general health literacy, which was positively associated with living in a difficult household financial situation (4.17; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.64–10.57), perceiving one’s own health status as poorer (7.12; 95% CI: 2.02–25.09), and having a fair opinion about a recent interaction with primary healthcare services (2.75; 95% CI: 1.46–5.19). The proportion of older adults with limited general health literacy in Portugal is significant. This result should be considered to inform health planning according to the health literacy gap of older adults in Portugal
- Monthly Analysis of Infant Mortality Rate in Portugal during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from Continuous MonitoringPublication . Nogueira, Paulo Jorge; Camarinha, Catarina; Feteira-Santos, Rodrigo; Costa, Andreia Silva; Nobre, Miguel de Araújo; Nicolau, Leonor Bacelar; Furtado, Cristina; Elias, CecíliaIntroduction: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted global public health. Infant mortality rate (IMR), a vital statistic and key indicator of a population's overall health, is essential for developing effective health prevention programs. Existing evidence primarily indicates a decrease in IMR during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a national-level analysis to calculate IMR and describe its course over the years (from 2016 until 2022), using a month-by-month analysis. Methods: Data on the number of deaths under one year of age was collected from the Portuguese E-Death Certification System (SICO), and data on the number of monthly live births was obtained from Statistics Portugal. The IMR was calculated per month, considering the previous 12 months' cumulative number of deaths under one year of age and the number of live births. Results: In Portugal, the IMR decreased before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lowest values were observed in September and October 2021 (2.15 and 2.14 per 1000 live births, respectively). The IMR remained below the threshold of three deaths per 1000 live births during the pandemic's critical period. Conclusion: Portugal has achieved remarkable progress in reducing its IMR over the last 60 years. The country recorded its lowest-ever IMR values during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further studies are needed to fully understand the observed trends.