To investigate the relationship between health literacy, social support and perceived risk of stroke recurrence in elderly stroke patients and the factors influencing them.

One hundred and fourteen elderly stroke patients admitted to Neurology Department of Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 2022 to October 2023 were investigated by convenience sampling method, general information questionnaire, recurrence risk perception assessment scale, health literacy scale and understanding social support scale. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between recurrence risk perception of elderly stroke patients and health literacy and social support, and single factor and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors of recurrence risk perception of elderly stroke patients.

The total score of perceived risk of recurrence in patients with elderly stroke was (63.33±13.72), the total score of health literacy was (64.65±12.85), and the total score of social support was (66.17±11.50). The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that the scores of perceived risk factors for recurrent diseases, perceived risk factors for recurrent behaviors, and severity of recurrence in patients with elderly stroke were positively correlated with the scores of health literacy and social support scales (P<0.05). The results of univariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in the total score of recurrence risk perception among elderly stroke patients with different levels of education, types of underlying diseases, and frequency of stroke attacks (P<0.05). The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that the number of stroke episodes and health literacy scale scores were the influencing factors for the perceived recurrence risk of elderly stroke patients (P<0.05).

Elderly patients with stroke recurrence risk perception, health literacy and social support were all at a moderately level, and their influencing factors involve the number of stroke episodes and health literacy, so it was recommended that healthcare professionals provide patients with health education knowledge in addition to health management using multimedia resources, in order to improve the level of patients' recurrence risk perception.