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Health Literacy (health + literacy)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	92%

Kinds of Health Literacy

limited health literacy

Selected Abstracts

Health Literacy and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 8 2009
Alex D. Federman MD
OBJECTIVES: To study the relationship between health literacy and memory and verbal fluency in older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort. SETTING: Twenty senior centers and apartment buildings in New York, New York. PARTICIPANTS: Independently living, English- and Spanish-speaking adults aged 60 and older (N=414). MEASUREMENTS: Health literacy was measured using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA). The associations between S-TOFHLA scores and immediate and delayed recall (Wechsler Memory Scale II), verbal fluency (Animal Naming), and global cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE) were modeled using multivariable logistic and linear regression. RESULTS: Health literacy was inadequate in 24.3% of participants. Impairment of immediate recall occurred in 20.4%; delayed recall, 15.0%; verbal fluency, 9.9%; and MMSE, 17.4%. Abnormal cognitive function was strongly associated with inadequate health literacy: immediate recall (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=3.44, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.71,6.94, P<.001), delayed recall (AOR=3.48, 95% CI=1.58,7.67, P=.002), and verbal fluency (AOR=3.47, 95% CI=1.44,8.38, P=.006). These associations persisted in subgroups that excluded individuals with normal age-adjusted MMSE scores. CONCLUSION: Memory and verbal fluency are strongly associated with health literacy, independently of education and health status, even in those with subtle cognitive dysfunction. Reducing the cognitive burden of health information might mitigate the detrimental effects of limited health literacy in older adults. Research that examines the effect of materials modified to older adults' cognitive limitations on health literacy and health outcomes is needed. [source]

Health Literacy for Improved Health Outcomes: Effective Capital in the Marketplace

JOURNAL OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, Issue 2 2009
NATALIE ROSS ADKINS
Improving consumers' health literacy addresses many of the rising problems in healthcare. We empirically support a reconceptualization of health literacy as a social and cultural practice through which adults leverage a range of skills as well as social networks to meet their needs. Pierre Bourdieu's "theory of practice" guides this reconceptualization and facilitates articulation of the array of strategies used in the complex healthcare marketplace. We focus on the low literate consumers' alternative forms of capital and the providers' recognition and support. The findings, from an emergent research design consisting of depth interviews with low literate consumers and healthcare providers, suggest a critical, reflective approach that enhances health literacy, empowers consumers to become partners in their own healthcare programs, and improves health outcomes. [source]

Health Literacy in Many Cultures

JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 4 2007
2007 -- Honolulu, 81st Annual School Health Conference of the American School Health Association July 9 - 1, Hawaii
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Early Adolescents Perceptions of Health and Health Literacy,

JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 1 2007
Stephen L. Brown PhD
ABSTRACT Background:, Health illiteracy is a societal issue that, if addressed successfully, may help to reduce health disparities. It has been associated with increased rates of hospital admission, health care expenditures, and poor health outcomes. Because of this, much of the research in the United States has focused on adults in the health care system. This study investigated the effect of aspects of health literacy on the motivation to practice health-enhancing behaviors among early adolescents. Methods:, Measures were generally based on 3 National Health Education Standards for grades 5-8. Data were obtained from 1178 9- to 13-year-old students visiting 11 health education centers in 7 states. Students responded via individual electronic keypads. Results:, Multivariate logistic regression revealed that, in addition to age, difficulty understanding health information and belief that kids can do little to affect their future health, decreased the likelihood for interest in and desire to follow what they were taught about health. Further, low interest independently decreased motivation to follow what was taught. Girls were more likely to turn to school, parents, and medical personnel for health information. Older students were more likely to turn to school and to the Internet. Conclusions:, Programs and curricula should be designed to increase student interest in health issues and their self-efficacy in controlling their own health destinies. Educators should also teach students to more effectively use nonconventional health information sources such as the Internet, parents, and medical professionals. [source]

The Carbohydrate Quandary: Achieving Health Literacy Through an Interdisciplinary WebQuest

JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 9 2005
Owen M. Donovan
First page of article [source]

Health Educators' Role in Promoting Health Literacy and Advocacy for the 21st Century

JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 10 2001
Marlene K. Tappe PhD
ABSTRACT: This article discusses the relationship between health literacy and advocacy for health and health education, cites achievement of advocacy as a critical outcome of health education, and identifies health advocacy competencies for both students and health educators. The paper also delineates a role for health education in developing health-literate citizens and in training health educators to advocate for health and health education. The article draws on recent initiatives in comprehensive school health education and coordinated school health programs to identify content and strategies for developing health advocacy skills among elementary, middle, and senior high school students. The article provides a variety of approaches and strategies for developing advocacy skills among preservice and inservice health educators. [source]

Multicenter Study of Limited Health Literacy in Emergency Department Patients

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 6 2008
Adit A. Ginde MD
Abstract Objectives:, The objective was to evaluate the prevalence of limited health literacy and its association with sociodemographic variables in emergency department (ED) patients. Methods:, This was a cross-sectional survey in three Boston EDs. The authors enrolled consecutive adult patients during two 24-hour periods at each site. They measured health literacy by the short version of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA). Using multivariate logistic regression, the authors evaluated associations between sociodemographic variables and limited health literacy, as classified by S-TOFHLA scores. Results:, The authors enrolled 300 patients (77% of eligible). Overall, 75 (25%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 20% to 30%) of participants had limited health literacy. Limited health literacy was independently associated with older age (compared to 18,44 years, odds ratio [OR] 4.3 [95% CI = 2.0 to 9.2] for 45,64 years and OR 3.4 [95% CI = 1.4 to 8.5] for ,65 years), less education (compared to high school graduates, OR 2.7 [95% CI = 1.1 to 7.3] for some high school or lower and OR 0.43 [95% CI = 0.21 to 0.88] for some college or higher), and lower income (OR 2.8 [95% CI = 1.2 to 6.6] for ,$40,000 compared to >$40,000). Although ethnicity, race, and language were associated with limited health literacy in unadjusted analyses, the associations were not significant on multivariate analysis. Conclusions:, In this sample, one-quarter of ED patients would be expected to have difficulty understanding health materials and following prescribed treatment regimens. Advanced age and low socioeconomic status were independently associated with limited health literacy. The ability of a significant subgroup of ED patients to understand health information, especially during illness or injury, requires further study. [source]

Health Literacy and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults

Health literacy, victim blaming and the mission of public health

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 3 2010
Konrad Jamrozik
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

The state of consumer health information: an overview

HEALTH INFORMATION & LIBRARIES JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009
Sarah Smith
Background:, Consumer health information is becoming increasingly important and health policy in the UK is beginning to reflect this. This has implications for information producers, providers and users, with the move towards a more patient-centred health service. Objectives:, This review aims to provide a broad overview of the current state of consumer health information in the UK. It examines the changing roles of information producers, providers and users, exploring the impact of health literacy and new technologies. It features some of the current library and consumer health information projects taking place in the UK and discusses the role that libraries may play in the future. Methods:, The article focuses on consumer health information in a policy context. It is based on the experiences of the authors' work for the Patient Information Forum and knowledge of consumer health information. A number of library and information professionals were consulted regarding the library and information projects. Conclusions:, Communication between health professionals and patients, and between health educators and the public, is key in order for consumer health information to have the ability to improve health outcomes. Further, especially local, investment into the production, distribution and delivery of consumer health information is recommended. [source]

Barriers and facilitators to the utilization of adult mental health services by Australia's Indigenous people: Seeking a way forward

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2010
Anton Neville Isaacs
ABSTRACT Mental disorders are the second leading cause of disease burden among Australia's Indigenous people after cardiovascular disease. Yet Indigenous people do not access mental health services in proportion to their need. This paper explores the barriers and facilitators for Indigenous people seeking mental health services in Australia and identifies key elements in the development and maintenance of partnerships for improved service delivery and future research. The process of seeking help for mental illness has been conceptualized as four consecutive steps starting from recognizing that there is a problem to actually contacting the mental health service. We have attempted to explore the factors affecting each of these stages. While people in the general population experience barriers across all four stages of the process of seeking treatment for a mental disorder, there are many more barriers for Indigenous people at the stage of actually contacting a mental health service. These include a history of racism and discrimination and resultant lack of trust in mainstream services, misunderstandings due to cultural and language differences, and inadequate measures to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Further research is required to understand the mental health literacy of Indigenous people, their different perceptions of mental health and well-being, issues around stigma, and the natural history of mental illness among Indigenous people who do not access any form of professional help. Collaborations between mainstream mental health services and Aboriginal organizations have been promoted as a way to conduct research into developing appropriate services for Indigenous people. [source]

Health Literacy and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults

Comparisons of Self-Reported and Chart-Identified Chronic Diseases in Inner-City Seniors

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 7 2009
John Leikauf BA
OBJECTIVES: To examine agreement between self-report of chronic disease and medical record data for inner-city seniors, their sensitivity and specificity, and the association between patient characteristics and accuracy of self-reports. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. SETTING: Two hospital-based primary care practices serving a low-income inner-city population. PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged 65 and older (n=323). MEASURES: Data on self-reported asthma, depression, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension were collected through interviewer-administered surveys (in English and Spanish) and chart abstraction. Chart-based disease was defined in two ways: physician documentation and physician documentation plus use of a medication to treat that condition. Sensitivity, specificity, and agreement were calculated. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were used to determine the associations between patient characteristics and patient,chart agreement. RESULTS: Agreement between self-report and chart data was high for diabetes mellitus (kappa=0.94) intermediate for asthma (kappa=0.66), and hypertension (kappa=0.54) and low for depression (kappa=0.4). Sensitivity and specificity were high for diabetes mellitus (0.99 and 0.96, respectively) and low for depression (0.74 and 0.72, respectively). Specificity for hypertension was lowest (0.67). Age, education, health literacy, and other patient characteristics did not have clear associations across conditions. CONCLUSION: Self-reports may be most reliable for diabetes mellitus and least reliable for depression for surveys involving older, inner-city adults. Survey research with older adults should include confirmatory data when assessing presence of depression, hypertension, and asthma. [source]

Barriers to Optimal Hypertension Control

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL HYPERTENSION, Issue 8 2008
Gbenga Ogedegbe MD
There is an obvious gap in the translation of clinical trial evidence into practice with regards to optimal hypertension control. The three major categories of barriers to BP control are patient-related, physician-related, and medical environment/health care system factors. Patient-related barriers include poor medication adherence, beliefs about hypertension and its treatment, depression, health literacy, comorbidity, and patient motivation. The most pertinent is medication adherence, given its centrality to the other factors. The most salient physician-related barrier is clinical inertia,defined, as the failure of health care providers to initiate or intensify drug therapy in a patient with uncontrolled BP. The major reasons for clinical inertia are: 1) overestimation of the amount of care that physicians provide; 2) lack of training on how to attain target BP levels; and 3) clinicians' use of soft reasons to avoid treatment intensification by adopting a "wait until next visit" approach in response to patients' excuses. [source]

Health Literacy for Improved Health Outcomes: Effective Capital in the Marketplace

Early Adolescents Perceptions of Health and Health Literacy,

Health Educators' Role in Promoting Health Literacy and Advocacy for the 21st Century

Latino worker perceptions of construction risks,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2010
Nancy Nivison Menzel PhD
Abstract Background Construction is a hazardous occupation, with Latino (Hispanic) workers at a greater risk for death than other ethnicities/races. Latinos accounted for over half of construction injuries involving days away from work in Nevada in 2006. Methods This study recruited 30 Latino construction workers from three Southern Nevada trade unions to participate in four focus groups conducted in Spanish to determine their perceived risks for injury. Audiotapes were transcribed into English transcripts, which were analyzed for themes. Results Themes included language/communication difficulties, traditional Latino values, construction trade skill level differences, and health literacy. Participants were unfamiliar with the workers' compensation system. Conclusions Small contractors in particular should provide more effective safety training in Spanish and appropriate safety equipment. Unions should offer English language training using simulation and more information about workers' compensation rights. Occupational health providers should consider Latino beliefs and communication needs when assessing health status or providing care. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:179,187 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

From rural beginnings to statewide roll-out: Evaluation of facilitator training for a group-based diabetes prevention program

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2010
Clare Vaughan
Abstract Objective:,To evaluate the approach used to train facilitators for a large-scale group-based diabetes prevention program developed from a rural implementation research project. Participants:,Orientation day was attended by 224 health professionals; 188 submitted the self-learning task; 175 achieved the satisfactory standard for the self-learning task and attended the workshop; 156 completed the pre- and post-training questionnaires. Main outcome measures:,Two pre- and post-training scales were developed to assess knowledge and confidence in group-based diabetes prevention program facilitation. Principal component analysis found four factors for measuring training effectiveness: knowledge of diabetes prevention, knowledge of group facilitation, confidence to facilitate a group to improve health literacy and confidence in diabetes prevention program facilitation. Self-learning task scores, training discontinuation rates and satisfaction scores were also assessed. Results:,There was significant improvement in all four knowledge and confidence factors from pre- to post-training (P < 0.001). The self-learning task mean test score was 88.7/100 (SD = 7.7), and mean assignment score was 72.8/100 (SD = 16.1). Satisfaction with training scores were positive and ,previous training' interacted with ,change in knowledge of diabetes prevention program facilitation' but not with change in ,confidence to facilitate.' Conclusions:,The training program was effective when analysed by change in facilitator knowledge and confidence and the positive mean satisfaction score. Learning task scores suggest tasks were manageable and the requirement contributed to facilitator self-selection. Improvement in confidence scores in facilitating a group-based diabetes prevention program, irrespective of previous training and experience, show that program-specific skill development activities are necessary in curriculum design. [source]

Multicenter Study of Limited Health Literacy in Emergency Department Patients

Evaluating oral health promotion: need for quality outcome measures

COMMUNITY DENTISTRY AND ORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006
Richard G. Watt
Abstract , Oral health promotion effectiveness reviews have identified the need to improve the quality of the evaluation of interventions. A project was undertaken to identify and assess the quality of available outcome measures. This paper describes the methodology adopted and highlights the need for further development of oral health promotion outcome measures. Initially a thorough and comprehensive search of both the published and unpublished literature was undertaken to identify potential outcome measures. A set of quality criteria was then developed and used to assess the identified measures. The search identified a total of 1202 outcome measures of which 39% (n = 466) were developed for use with schoolchildren. A high proportion of the identified measures were classified as health literacy and healthy lifestyle outcomes, appropriate for the evaluation of oral health education activities. Only 1% (n = 12) of measures identified were classified in the healthy public policy category. When reviewed against the quality criteria, 49% (n = 594) of the measures were considered satisfactory. The poorest performing measures were those classified as healthy lifestyle and health literacy measures in which only 33% (n = 72) and 41% (n = 240), respectively, were deemed to be of satisfactory quality. In conclusion, a significant number of oral health promotion evaluation outcome measures have been identified although their quality is highly variable. Very few high-quality outcome measures exist for use in the evaluation of oral health policy and environmental interventions. The lack of appropriate and high-quality outcome measures is hampering the development of oral health promotion. [source]