scholarly journals Understanding and Responding to Health Literacy as a Social Determinant of Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Don Nutbeam ◽  
Jane E. Lloyd
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Literacy Intervention ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Transferable Skills ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
Social Determinant Of Health

Evidence of a social gradient in health literacy has been found in all reported national population surveys. Health literacy is a midstream determinant of health but not a panacea for health inequities created by the maldistribution of opportunity and resources. It is possible to optimize the contribution health literacy makes in mediating the causes and effects of established social determinants of health. Existing interventions demonstrate the feasibility of improving health literacy among higher-risk populations, but research remains underdeveloped and effects on health inequity are largely untested. Future health literacy intervention research should focus on ( a) improving the quality of health communication that reaches a diversity of populations, especially by improving frontline professional skills and support; ( b) enabling people to develop transferable skills in accessing, understanding, analyzing, and applying health information; and ( c) ensuring that priority is proportionate to need by reaching and engaging the population groups who are disproportionately affected by low health literacy. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 42 is April 1, 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: Mechanisms and Treatment Strategies

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazunori Omote ◽  
Frederik H. Verbrugge ◽  
Barry A. Borlaug
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Ejection Fraction ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Preserved Ejection Fraction ◽  
Reduced Ejection Fraction ◽  
Patients With Heart Failure ◽  
Prevalence Of Obesity

Approximately half of all patients with heart failure (HF) have a preserved ejection fraction, and the prevalence is growing rapidly given the aging population in many countries and the rising prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Functional capacity and quality of life are severely impaired in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and morbidity and mortality are high. In striking contrast to HF with reduced ejection fraction, there are few effective treatments currently identified for HFpEF, and these are limited to decongestion by diuretics, promotion of a healthy active lifestyle, and management of comorbidities. Improved phenotyping of subgroups within the overall HFpEF population might enhance individualization of treatment. This review focuses on the current understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying HFpEF and treatment strategies for this complex syndrome. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Medicine, Volume 73 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

scholarly journals Reactions to Diversity: Using Theater to Teach Medical Students about Cultural Diversity

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. JMECD.S37986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberley D Ivory ◽  
Paul Dwyer ◽  
Georgina Luscombe
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Diversity Training ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Cultural Humility ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Interactive Exercises ◽  
Social Determinant Of Health

Training medical students to understand the effects of culture and marginalization on health outcomes is important to the future health of increasingly diverse populations. We devised and evaluated a short training module on working with diversity to challenge students’ thinking about the role of both patient and practitioner culture in health outcomes. The workshop combined didactic teaching about culture as a social determinant of health using the cultural humility model, interactive exercises, and applied theater techniques. We evaluated changes in the students’ perceptions and attitudes over time using the Reaction to Diversity Inventory. There was initial significant improvement. Women and students with no past diversity training responded best. However, scores largely reverted to baseline over 12 months.

The Centrality of Child Maltreatment to Criminology

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Font ◽  
Reeve Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Crime And Delinquency ◽  
Comprehensive Measurement

Despite sufficient evidence to conclude that maltreatment exposure affects the risk of crime and delinquency, we conclude that the magnitude and specificity of effects of child maltreatment on crime and delinquency and the mechanisms through which those effects operate remain poorly identified. Key challenges include insufficient attention to the overlap of child maltreatment with various forms of family dysfunction and adversity and a lack of comprehensive measurement of the multiple, often comorbid, forms of child maltreatment. We then consider the potential impacts of the child welfare system on the maltreatment–crime link. Because the child welfare system typically provides voluntary, short-term services of unknown quality, it likely neither increases nor reduces risks of delinquency and crime for most children who are referred or investigated. For the comparatively small (although nominally large and important) subset of children experiencing foster care, impacts on delinquency and crime likely vary by the quality of environments within and after their time in care—issues that, to date, have received too little attention. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Criminology, Volume 5 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

scholarly journals Health literacy and quality of life following rectal resections for cancer

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. 3186
Author(s):  
Ba Thinh Nguyen ◽  
Toufic El-Khoury ◽  
Nimalan Pathmanathan ◽  
Peter Loder ◽  
Grahame Ctercteko
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Rectal Cancer ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Rectal Cancer Patient ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
The Mean

Background: Health literacy can be a stronger predictor of an individual’s health status than income, employment status, education level, and racial or ethnic group. The prevalence and impact of low health literacy in the rectal cancer patient population has received little attention. This study is a cross-sectional population survey to determine if there is a relationship between health literacy and quality of life in rectal cancer patients.Methods: All rectal cancer patients having a clinical encounter with the Colorectal Unit at Westmead Hospital will be invited to participate in the study. Two validated health literacy screens (REALM-SF and NVS) were administered along with the EORTC QLQ-C30 quality of life assessment. The association between health literacy and quality of life will be examined using Spearman regression.Results: 92 patients were recruited between March 2015 and July 2016. A significant proportion of our patients were found to have low health literacy (29.3 percent and 54.5 percent as measured by the REALM-SF and NVS, respectively). The mean QLQ-C30 summary score was 71.5 and the mean global health score was 69.4 (SD 23.3). There appeared to be no statistically significant correlation between health literacy and quality of life in our study. There was a moderately positive correlation between the NVS and REALM-SF (rho = 0.36, P <0.001).Conclusions: A significant proportion of our patients that have had rectal resections for cancer have low health literacy. We have not been able to demonstrate an obvious association between health literacy and quality of life in the present study.

Long Persistent Luminescence: A Road Map Toward Promising Future Developments in Energy and Environmental Science

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Chiatti ◽  
Claudia Fabiani ◽  
Anna Laura Pisello
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Science ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Materials Science ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Luminescent Materials ◽  
Persistent Luminescence ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Lighting Energy

In recent decades, research on persistent luminescence has led to new phosphors and promising performance. Efforts to improve the quality of phosphors’ afterglow have paved the way toward innovative solutions for many disciplines. However, there are few examples of the implementation of luminescent materials. In addition to providing a general background on persistent luminescence, the techniques used for its analysis, and its multidisciplinary potential in energy and environmental science, this article aims to explain the existing gap between the physical-chemical approach and the effective implementation of luminescent materials in larger-scale applications. It investigates engineering solutions in terms of the possible benefits of luminescence in lighting energy savings and passive cooling of urban surfaces. Finally, this article aims to reduce the abovementioned gap by suggesting what is most needed for the successful application of luminescent materials in the built environment. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Materials Science, Volume 51 is July 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Correcting malapropisms: strategies to bridge cultural and socioeconomic gaps

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-94
Author(s):  
Israel Berger ◽  
John A. Cartmill
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Clinician Training ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
Socioeconomic Gaps ◽  
Written Materials

Purpose Although patients and lay people are often more knowledgeable about medical conditions than their predecessors, the dominant culture’s increased involvement in understanding their health and making treatment decisions does not translate into consistently more informed patients. High health literacy is associated with both improved health outcomes and receiving better quality-of-care. Low health literacy disproportionately affects people from marginalized ethnic and language groups. Regardless of how a particular clinician feels about a patient, malapropisms and mis-attributions may cause patients to appear less intelligent or to have lower perceived health literacy, potentially affecting their healthcare experiences with other clinicians. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper discusses the evidence for “up-skilling” patients and uses principles from conversation analysis to demonstrate how malapropisms can be corrected sensitively. Clinician training in skilled communication using the conversation analytic role-play method is also addressed. Findings Malapropisms are best corrected through modelling rather than calling attention to the error directly, as this allows the patient to save face. Explanations using drawings and clearly written materials may also be useful. Originality/value Helping patients to improve their communication with clinicians may lead to improved health outcomes through improved quality-of-care.

scholarly journals The effects of cohousing model on people’s health and wellbeing: a scoping review

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juli Carrere ◽  
Alexia Reyes ◽  
Laura Oliveras ◽  
Anna Fernández ◽  
Andrés Peralta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Psychosocial Determinants ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Social Determinant Of Health

Abstract Background Housing is a social determinant of health. Extensive research has highlighted its adverse effects on health. However, less is known about the effects of cohousing typology on health, which has the potential to create lively social networks and healthy communities and environments. We report the findings of a scoping study designed to gather and synthesise all known evidence on the relationship between cohousing and wellbeing and health. Method Using the scoping review method, we conducted a literature review in PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct and JSTOR in May 2019 and selected articles published from 1960 onwards, with no geographical limit and no design restrictions. Retrieved articles underwent three sequential screening phases. The results were described through a narrative synthesis of the evidence. Results Of the 2560 articles identified, we selected 25 full-text articles analysing 77 experiences. All of them were conducted in high-income countries. Ten studies analysed the impact of cohousing on physical and mental health or quality of life and wellbeing. Eight of the 10 studies found a positive association. In addition, 22 studies analysed one or more psychosocial determinants of health (such as social support, sense of community and physical, emotional and economic security) and most found a positive association. Through these determinants, quality of life, wellbeing and health could be improved. However, the quality of the evidence was low. Discussion The cohousing model could enhance health and wellbeing mediated by psychosocial determinants of health. However, extreme caution should be exercised in drawing any conclusions due to the dearth of data identified and the designs used in the included studies, with most being cross-sectional or qualitative studies, which precluded causal-based interpretations. Because housing is a major social determinant of health, more evidence is needed on the impact of this model on health through both psychosocial and material pathways.

scholarly journals Exploring Associated Factors of Subjective Health Literacy in School-Aged Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Fretian ◽  
Torsten Michael Bollweg ◽  
Orkan Okan ◽  
Paulo Pinheiro ◽  
Ullrich Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Fourth Graders ◽  
Subjective Health ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
Health Related

Low health literacy is considered to lead to worse health-related outcomes and behaviors and has therefore been recognized as a social determinant of health. While health literacy and its potential determinants have been studied in adults, little research has been conducted with children. This study aims to address this research gap by investigating factors associated with children’s subjective health literacy. Cross-sectional data was collected from fourth graders at German schools with a self-report questionnaire. Sociodemographic characteristics, health-related attitudes, and motivation were analyzed. We used hierarchical multivariate linear regression to explain variance in the dependent variable “subjective health literacy”. A total of n = 907 fourth graders were surveyed. Regarding health literacy, eight out of ten participants (82.2%) reported that it was “rather easy” or “very easy” to deal with health-related information. Family affluence, but not language spoken at home, was significantly related to subjective health literacy, after controlling for confounding. Moreover, parental health orientation, self-efficacy, and motivation are factors significantly associated with health literacy. Based on the results of this study, it is hypothesized that a general motivation to learn new things about health, as well as an environment promoting health-positive behavior, might foster children’s health literacy.

scholarly journals What Role Does Body Image in Relationship between Level of Health Literacy and Symptoms of Eating Disorders in Adolescents?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3482
Author(s):  
Zuzana Boberová ◽  
Daniela Husárová
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Literacy Intervention ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
Health Literacy Level ◽  
Medium Level ◽  
And Gender

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to explore the associations between health literacy and symptoms for eating disorders among adolescents, taking into consideration age and gender and whether this association is mediated by body image. (2) Methods: We used data on 5054 adolescents (mean age = 13.9, 51.7% boys) from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children study conducted in 2018 in Slovakia. We used logistic regression models to examine associations between level of health literacy and symptoms for eating disorders mediated by body image. (3) Results: Adolescents with low and medium levels of health literacy had a higher occurrence of reporting two or more symptoms of eating disorders (odds ratio (OR)/95% CI: 2.25/1.78–2.84 and 1.37/1.15–1.65). Adjustment for body image reduced the significance of association between low level of health literacy and symptoms for eating disorders by 26.4%, and association between medium level of health literacy and symptoms for eating disorders by 29.7%. (4) Conclusions: Adolescents who have a low health literacy level were found to have a higher probability of having symptoms for eating disorders, especially when they perceive themselves as fat. The study refers to potential theoretical frameworks for health literacy intervention that may provide guidelines for the intervention design and materials.

scholarly journals Correlates of Health Literacy among Farmers in Northern Thailand

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (19) ◽  
pp. 7071
Author(s):  
Hannah Montgomery ◽  
Siena Morgan ◽  
Kriengkrai Srithanaviboonchai ◽  
Pisittawoot Ayood ◽  
Penprapa Siviroj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Northern Thailand ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
Health Promotion Programs ◽  
Important Health ◽  
Literacy Survey ◽  
Lower Health ◽  
Village Health

Low health literacy is a barrier to public health efforts worldwide. Agricultural workers have an elevated risk for lower health literacy, with important health implications because of their potential exposure to harmful chemicals. The Asian Health Literacy Survey (AHLS) has been developed and translated for use in several different Asian countries and is standardized for easy comparisons across regions. However, it has not been translated for use in Thailand. The purpose of this study was to (1) to determine the health literacy of rural Thai farmers in Northern Thailand, and (2) identify correlates of health literacy within this group. Internal consistency of the Thai AHLS translation was “excellent” (alpha = 0.92). Descriptive results showed that health literacy was relatively high (M = 34.98/50, SD = 6.87). Education, income, working as a village health volunteer, age, length of time farming, no chemical use in farming, health, and pesticide screening were statistically significant correlates of health literacy (R2 = 0.19). Thai farmers had higher health literacy than reported for several other Asian countries. Results may be used to inform the design of future health promotion programs.

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