Medication literacy among community-dwelling older adults in Shenzhen: a 2024 cross-sectional survey with psychometric evidence

Objective To provide a scientific basis for policymakers and healthcare providers in developing targeted interventions, we investigated the level of medication literacy and its contributing factors among the older population in Shenzhen. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between August and October 2024, involving 1,198 participants aged 60 years or older from 10 administrative districts in Shenzhen, using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method. The survey instrument comprised 20 items, grouped into three dimensions: functional literacy, communication literacy, and critical literacy. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multiple linear regression with prespecified covariates to explore the status of medication literacy and its associated factors among older adults in Shenzhen communities. Results A total of 1,005 valid questionnaires were collected. The average scores for functional literacy, communication literacy, and critical literacy of older adults in Shenzhen were 1.44 ± 0.37, 1.20 ± 0.35, and 0.85 ± 0.26, respectively. The overall average score was 69.71 ± 16.57. Low medication literacy was the most prevalent ( n = 407, 40.50%), followed by medium ( n = 366, 36.42%) and high literacy ( n = 232, 23.08%). Significant factors associated with medication literacy among older adults included educational level, type of medical insurance, disease duration, frequency of hospitalizations in the past year, ADR history, and the situation of contacting medical staff. All of these factors were statistically significant ( p < 0.05). Conclusion The medication literacy of older adults in Shenzhen requires more attention, targeted education is warranted for subgroups with low education, no medical insurance, short disease duration, three or more hospitalizations in the past year, low awareness of ADRs, and less contact with medical staff.