Latent profile analysis of health literacy among breast cancer patients and comparative analysis of quality of life disparities.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the latent profiles of health literacy among breast cancer patients and examine their relationship with quality of life.

METHODS

A total of 182 patients were consecutively recruited from the general surgery department using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, the Chronic Disease Health Literacy Scale, and the Breast Cancer Quality of Life Scale. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted using Mplus 8.3 to identify distinct health literacy profiles. Subsequently, SPSS 27.0 was used to compare differences in quality-of-life scores the identified profiles.

RESULTS

Three distinct latent profiles of health literacy were identified among breast cancer patients: a low health literacy profile (9.2%), a moderate health literacy profile (29.3%), and a high health literacy profile (61.5%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that educational attainment, primary caregiver status, and having relatives or friends working in healthcare were significantly associated with health literacy profile membership (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, the overall quality-of-life score and all subscale scores differed significantly across the three profiles (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study identified three distinct health literacy profiles among breast cancer patients, which were significantly associated with different levels of quality of life. To optimize patient outcomes, clinical nursing practice should develop and implement tailored interventions based on these specific profile characteristics.