# The Relationship Between Health Literacy, Autonomic Nervous Activity, and Acceleration Pulse Wave in Japanese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

## TL;DR

This study explores how health literacy relates to autonomic nervous activity and pulse wave measurements in Japanese adults.

## Contribution

It identifies a novel association between health literacy and autonomic nervous activity in a Japanese adult population.

## Key findings

- Women had higher health literacy and older age compared to men.
- High health literacy was linked to higher quality of life and parasympathetic nerve activity.
- APG was significantly higher in the high-health-literacy group.

## Abstract

Background: Autonomic nervous activity and acceleration plethysmography (APG) are effective biomarkers for assessing health status. However, the relationship between health literacy and these factors is unclear.

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between health literacy, autonomic nervous activity, and APG.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 222 Japanese adults. Health literacy was assessed using the Japanese version of the HLS-EU-Q16. Autonomic nervous activity and APG were measured using a pulse analyzer.

Results: Women were significantly older than men (p<0.01) and had higher health literacy (p<0.01). Therefore, health literacy was compared by gender. The high-health-literacy group tended to have a higher age and quality of life, and their APG was significantly higher. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that high health literacy was associated with age, quality of life, and parasympathetic nerve activity.

Discussion: Improving health literacy in community-dwelling individuals suggests the need for intervention from a younger age. Although the odds ratio was low for both health literacy and autonomic nervous system activity, a correlation was suspected. Further verification is necessary when selecting subjects in the future.