Patterns of health literacy among vulnerable unemployed citizens. A cross-sectional study in a Danish municipality

Background: Poor health and related health literacy (HL) can make it challenging for unemployed people to enter the labour market. This study aimed to identify HL intervention targets by mapping HL challenges among vulnerable unemployed citizens in Høje Taastrup municipality in Denmark. Methods: The citizens completed questionnaires on HL and sociodemographic characteristics. We used descriptive statistics to calculate the proportion of HL challenges and characterize the participants. A latent class analysis was performed to group individuals with similar HL challenges. Results: A total of 86 citizens were included in the study with a median age of 51.5 and 73.3% being female. The most frequent HL challenge was “Navigating the healthcare system” (87.2%). Two distinct classes were identified: one with few HL challenges and one with many challenges. Participants belonging to the class with many HL challenges were characterized by having lower socioeconomic positions and more health limitations compared to citizens in class with few HL challenges. Conclusions: Interventions that can improve 1) the HL in vulnerable unemployed citizens and 2) the system’s ability to accommodate citizens with poor HL are possible and could improve the health of the citizens and thus their labor market prospects. Depending on the target group, these should have a broad HL focus or a more specific focus on navigating the healthcare system.