scholarly journals How could health information be improved? Recommended actions from the Victorian Consultation on Health Literacy

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie J. Hill ◽  
Tanya A. Sofra
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Objective Health ◽  
Health Decision Making ◽  
Health Decision ◽  
Information Materials ◽  
Improve Health

Objective Health literacy is on the policy agenda. Accessible, high-quality health information is a major component of health literacy. Health information materials include print, electronic or other media-based information enabling people to understand health and make health-related decisions. The aim of the present study was to present the findings and recommended actions as they relate to health information of the Victorian Consultation on Health Literacy. Methods Notes and submissions from the 2014 Victorian Consultation workshops and submissions were analysed thematically and a report prepared with input from an advisory committee. Results Health information needs to improve and recommendations are grouped into two overarching themes. First, the quality of information needs to be increased and this can be done by developing a principle-based framework to inform updating guidance for information production, formulating standards to raise quality and improving the systems for delivering information to people. Second, there needs to be a focus on users of health information. Recommendation actions were for information that promoted active participation in health encounters, resources to encourage critical users of health information and increased availability of information tailored to population diversity. Conclusion A framework to improve health information would underpin the efforts to meet literacy needs in a more consistent way, improving standards and ultimately increasing the participation by consumers and carers in health decision making and self-management. What is known about the topic? Health information is a critical component of the concept of health literacy. Poorer health literacy is associated with poorer health outcomes across a range of measures. Improving access to and the use of quality sources of health information is an important strategy for meeting the health literacy needs of the population. In recent years, health services and governments have taken a critical interest in improving health literacy. What does this paper add? This article presents the findings of the Victorian Consultation on Health Literacy as they relate to needs, priorities and potential actions for improving health information. In the context of the National Statement for Health Literacy, health information should be a priority, given its centrality to the public’s management of its own health and effective, standards-based, patient-centred clinical care. A framework to improve health information would underpin the efforts of government, services and consumer organisations to meet literacy needs in a more consistent way, improving standards and ultimately increasing the participation by consumers and carers in health decision making and self-management. What are the implications for practitioners? The development and provision of health information materials needs to be systematised and supported by infrastructure, requiring leadership, cultural change, standards and skills development.

scholarly journals Barriers To Achieving E-Health Literacy

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niya Werts ◽  
Laurencia Hutton-Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Technology Access ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Health Decision Making ◽  
Literacy Gap ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Health Decision ◽  
Improve Health

E-health literacy is the ability to gather and appropriately process health information retrieved online. Like traditional health literacy, higher levels of e-health literacy may work to support health decision making and thereby improve health outcomes. Some populations frequently identified as at risk for health disparities, are also in danger of falling in to the e-health literacy “gap.” The following paper explores the barriers to attaining e-health literacy for vulnerable populations. The paper illustrates how a narrow focus on increasing technology access is insufficient to address disparities in e-health literacy, and provides a preliminary agenda for health promotion professionals to better address the e-health literacy gap in research and practice. 

Our Future With Democratization of Health Requires Health Literacy to Succeed

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 948-954
Author(s):  
Ruth M. Parker ◽  
Scott Ratzan
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Information Content ◽  
Health Decision Making ◽  
Needed Information ◽  
Health Decision ◽  
Exciting Potential ◽  
Improve Health

This article argues for the importance of health literacy to improve health decision making. With growing connectivity at the level of individuals, communities, populations, and people across geographies, we have exciting opportunities to advance health. Health literacy is fundamental for democratization of health. The complexities and demands of what is needed for health and healthcare must align with the skills and abilites of people to access, navigate, understand, and use needed information. Content must be clear, transparent, accurate, and useful in meeting the needs of people seeking solutions. Health literacy occurs when this happens, and is foundational for reaching the exciting potential of democratizing health.

scholarly journals Adolescents' Health Literacy and Decision-making: A Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 392-408
Author(s):  
Sasha A. Fleary ◽  
Patrece Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Future Orientation ◽  
Subjective Health ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Health Decision Making ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Health Decision

Objective: Adolescents assume increased responsibility for their health, particularly regarding health decision-making for lifestyle behaviors. Prior research suggests a relationship between health literacy (HL) and health behaviors in adolescents. Yet, the specific role of HL in adolescents' health decision-making is unclear. This study qualitatively explored adolescents' use of HL in their health decision-making. Methods: Six focus groups with adolescents (N = 37, Mage = 16.49, 86% girls) were conducted. Adolescents' responses to questions about their HL use were coded using thematic analysis. Results: Adolescents identified passive and active HL engagement and several individual (eg, future orientation, risk perception) and environmental (eg, access to resources/information, media) factors that influenced their use of HL in health decision-making. Feedback from others, subjective health, and ability to navigate multiple sources of information also determined adolescents' confidence in their HL skills. Conclusions: Our results support expanding the types of HL studied/measured in adolescents and provide insight on how HL can be leveraged to improve adolescents' health decision-making. Though there was no guiding theory for this study, results support using the Information-Motivation-Behavior Skills model to assess the HL/health decision-making relationship in adolescence.

scholarly journals Considering Health Literacy, Health Decision Making, and Health Communication in the Social Networks of Vulnerable New Mothers in Hawai‘i: A Pilot Feasibility Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 2356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetine Sentell ◽  
Joy Agner ◽  
Ruth Pitt ◽  
James Davis ◽  
Mary Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Home Visiting ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Health Decision Making ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
Health Decision ◽  
Home Visiting Program

Health literacy is understudied in the context of social networks. Our pilot study goal was to consider this research gap among vulnerable, low-income mothers of minority ethnic background in the state of Hawai‘i, USA. Recruitment followed a modified snowball sampling approach. First, we identified and interviewed seven mothers (“egos”) in a state-sponsored home visiting program. We then sought to interview individuals whom each mother said was part of her health decision-making network (“first-level alters”) and all individuals whom the first-level alters said were part of their health decision-making networks (“second-level alters”). Health literacy was self-reported using a validated item. A total of 18 people were interviewed, including all mothers (n = 7), 35% of the first-level alters (n = 7/20), and 36% of the second-level alters (n = 4/11). On average, the mothers made health decisions with 2.9 people (range: 1-6); partners/spouses and mothers/mothers-in-law were most common. One mother had low health literacy; her two first-level alters also had low health literacy. Across the full sample, the average number of people in individuals’ health decision networks was 2.5 (range: 0–7); 39% of those interviewed had low health literacy. This can inform the design of future studies and successful interventions to improve health literacy.

scholarly journals The role of internet resources in health decision-making: a qualitative study

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 205520761988807
Author(s):  
Lauren Georgia Bussey ◽  
Elizabeth Sillence
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Resources ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health Decision Making ◽  
Internet Resources ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Supportive Role ◽  
Health Decision

Objective Internet resources remain important for health information and advice but their specific role in decision-making is understudied, often assumed and remains unclear. In this article, we examine the different ways in which internet resources play a role in health decision-making within the context of distributed decision-making. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 37 people in the United Kingdom who reported using the internet in relation to decision-making, and representing a range of long- and short-term health conditions. The interviews focused on decision-making activities across different settings and in relation to different stakeholders to understand how internet resources play a role in these activities. We carried out a thematic analysis of the interviews. Results We identified three main ways in which internet resources played a role in health decision-making. A supportive role (as a decision crutch), a stimulating role (as a decision initiator), and an interactional role (impacting on the doctor–patient relationship). These three roles spanned different resources and illustrated how the decision-making process can be impacted by the encounters people have with technology – specifically internet based health resources – in different ways and at different time points. Conclusions Examining health decisions with respect to internet resources highlights the complex and distributed nature of decision-making alongside the complexity of online health information sourcing. We discuss the role of internet resources in relation to the increasing importance of online personal experiences and their relevance within shared decision-making.

scholarly journals Public Library Training Program for Older Adults Addresses Their Computer and Health Literacy Needs

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Cari Merkley
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Computer Anxiety ◽  
Public Library ◽  
National Institutes Of Health ◽  
Health Decision Making ◽  
Health Decision

Objective – To evaluate the efficacy of an e-health literacy educational intervention aimed at older adults. Design – Pre and post intervention questionnaires administered in an experimental study. Setting – Two public library branches in Maryland. Subjects – 218 adults between 60 and 89 years of age. Methods – A convenience sample of older adults was recruited to participate in a four week training program structured around the National Institutes of Health toolkit Helping Older Adults Search for Health Information Online. During the program, classes met at the participating libraries twice a week. Sessions were two hours in length, and employed hands on exercises led by Master of Library Science students. The training included an introduction to the Internet, as well as in depth training in the use of the NIHSeniorHealth and MedlinePlus websites. In the first class, participants were asked to complete a pre-training questionnaire that included questions relating to demographics and previous computer and Internet experience, as well as measures from the Computer Anxiety Scale and two subscales of the Attitudes toward Computers Questionnaire. Participants between September 2008 and June 2009 also completed pre-training computer and web knowledge tests that asked individuals to label the parts of a computer and of a website using a provided list of terms. At the end of the program, participants were asked to complete post-training questionnaires that included the previously employed questions from the Computer Anxiety Scale and Attitudes towards Computer Questionnaire. New questions were added relating to the participants’ satisfaction with the training, its impact on their health decision making, their perceptions of public libraries, and the perceived usability and utility of the two websites highlighted during the training program. Those who completed pre-training knowledge tests were also asked to complete the same exercises at the end of the program. Main Results – Participants showed significant decreases in their levels of computer anxiety, and significant increases in their interest in computers at the end of the program (p>0.01). Computer and web knowledge also increased among those completing the knowledge tests. Most participants (78%) indicated that something they had learned in the program impacted their health decision making, and just over half of respondents (55%) changed how they took medication as a result of the program. Participants were also very satisfied with the program’s delivery and format, with 97% indicating that they had learned a lot from the course. Most (68%) participants said that they wished the class had been longer, and there was full support for similar programming to be offered at public libraries. Participants also reported that they found the NIHSeniorHealth website more useful, but not significantly more usable, than MedlinePlus. Conclusion – The intervention as designed successfully addressed issues of computer and health literacy with older adult participants. By using existing resources, such as public library computer facilities and curricula developed by the National Institutes of Health, the intervention also provides a model that could be easily replicated in other locations without the need for significant financial resources.

scholarly journals Health Information Literacy: The Saving Grace During Traumatic Times

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maedeh Ghorbanian Zolbin ◽  
◽  
Khadijah Kainat ◽  
Shahrokh Nikou ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Health Decision Making ◽  
Concept Of Health ◽  
Health Decision ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Individual Ability

t When it comes to engaging with health information in their daily lives, people face different challenges. In the context of COVID-19, the aim of this study is to determine whether health information literacy can assist people in making informed health-related decisions. An empirical study was conducted to investigate such an effect. Building on a dataset composed of 155 respondents, the research model was examined through structural equation modelling. The results showed that health information literacy – as an individual ability – not only influences health decision making but also has a direct impact on the awareness of the challenges imposed by the current pandemic situation. In addition, the results show that too much information leads to information fatigue, and consequently negatively impacts decision making. The findings of this paper show that the concept of health information literacy should be understood and developed separately from the health literacy concept. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.

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