• Introduction/Background/Problem

Sesotho is one of South Africa’s indigenous languages, and is spoken by the majority of the population in the Free State province of South Africa. The general health literacy status of patients diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in this province is unknown, creating a void in managing the disease optimally.

• Description of Objectives/Methods/Intervention

The objectives were to establish the health literacy association between Sesotho-speaking patients with ESRD who received haemo- and peritoneal dialysis at private and public dialysis centres. This multi-centre, cross-sectional study, utilised the Sesotho Health Literacy Test (SHLT), focusing on appraisal and understanding of information, to assess health literacy levels. Associations between the health literacy levels of patients and demographic variables were calculated. Patients (N=420; n=263) receiving haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in private (n=6) and public (n=4) healthcare sectors in four towns of the Free State province were included. Frequencies and percentages for categorical data, and medians and percentiles for numerical data, were calculated per group utilising the Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests for categorical data, and the Kruskal-Wallis test for numerical data.

• Results (effects/impact/changes)

Within the private / public sectors, respondents (n=263) received haemodialysis (n=109; n=88) and peritoneal dialysis (n=3; n=63). No statistical significant associations were found between the health literacy levels of haemo- and peritoneal dialysis patients (p=0.80), or between the two healthcare sector groups (p=0.58). Respondents presented with low (12.9%) and moderate (49.4%) health literacy levels. A statistical significant association was reported between lower health literacy levels and the scores obtained in appraisal and understanding questions (p<0.01). ESRD patients’ education level was the only demographic variable significantly associated (p<0.01) with limited health literacy levels.

• Discussions/Conclusions/Lessons learned

The SHLT was applicable for assessing the general health literacy of Sesotho speaking ESRD patients. The majority of patients obtained a less than desirable health literacy score, necessitating healthcare workers to recognise these patients’ potential difficulty to adapt to, manage, and understand ESRD complexities. Health outcomes and self-management of Sesotho speaking ESRD patients may improve if their health literacy levels are known.