Impact of Educational Levels and Health Literacy on Community Acetaminophen Knowledge

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 499-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J. Ip ◽  
Terrill T-L. Tang ◽  
Vincent Cheng ◽  
Junhua Yu ◽  
Derren S. Cheongsiatmoy

Patient understanding of acetaminophen is important for its safe and appropriate self-use. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the San Francisco Bay Area to determine the impact of educational level, patient health literacy score, and other demographic characteristics on acetaminophen knowledge. A 17-item, in-person, paper-and-pen questionnaire containing questions about demographics and acetaminophen knowledge was administered to 311 adults outside 5 local grocery stores in varying socioeconomic communities. Knowledge assessed was whether Tylenol–McNeil contains acetaminophen, maximum daily dose, and primary organ affected by toxicity. Participant health literacy was evaluated using the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine-Short Form (REALM-SF) test. Of the 300 who successfully completed the study, only 3.8% of all subjects were able to answer all 3 acetaminophen knowledge questions correctly regardless of educational level or health literacy score. This reaffirms that a lack of appropriate acetaminophen knowledge remains present in the general population, and further efforts to educate patients will be needed to prevent adverse events.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-42
Author(s):  
Asma Khalid

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Smart phones usage is rapidly progressing day by day in young adults’ lives who have become habituated and less indulged in physical activities. Thus, this study is aimed to measure the impact of internet-enabled smart phones on physical activity of students. METHODOLOGY An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among students aged 18-30 years studying in tertiary institutions. Internet-Connectedness Index and International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form were formulated in the Google Docs and distributed to participants via email or social media applications. RESULTS A total number of 252 students participated in study revealed that majority of users have own computer for prolonged time with broadband and 3G internet. Only (4.4%) participants have performed vigorous and (5.6%) moderate activities 7 days a week. Whereas (27.8%) participants spent their time sitting at desk, visiting friends, reading, sitting or lying down to watch TV for <2 hours (27.8%), <4 hours (21.8%) while >8 hours (23%) respectively. This showed that with the increased use of internet, young adults performed low physical activity. CONCLUSION It was concluded that majority of young adults have used internet for prolonged time on computer/laptop/cell phones whereas limited participants reported to have regular physical activity however, no significant association was found between the impacts of internet-connectedness with physical activity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Marie Tynan

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of neighbourhood on type 2 diabetes among a sample of immigrants attending diabetes education programs in Toronto. Flemingdon Park (FP) has higher overall rates of diabetes than does St. James Town (SJ), even though both areas share similar socio-economic and immigrant profiles. A cross-sectional survey administered to participants of Diabetes Education Programs at Flemingdon and Sherbourne Health Centres asked questions about proximity of resources such as grocery stores, walking, biking trails, parks, access to and availability of recreation sites, public transit, social support and self-reported health status. The results provide individual-level information on the impact of neighbourhood and other social determinants on type 2 diabetes among a sample of immigrants. While the results support the notion that 'where you live' does matter, bigger sample size and further study are needed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oxana Atmann ◽  
Klaus Linde ◽  
Christoph Werner ◽  
Ulrike Dorn ◽  
Antonius Schneider

Abstract Background Although the impact of asthma education on important outcomes (e.g. emergency visits) has been well established, only an estimated quarter of asthma patients in Germany have received patient education yet. The aim of the study was to identify patient factors that could increase participation in asthma education programs. Methods This cross-sectional study investigated participation factors and differences between trained (n = 64) and untrained (n = 65) asthma patients from a large outpatient center in Germany. The survey included answers to asthma-related questions and open questions on patient education as well as such about knowledge of health literacy and eHealth. Results Mean age of participants was 55 ± 19 years and 61% were female. Trained patients were more likely to participate in disease management programs (odds ratio (OR) 6.85; 95%CI 2.17–21.59), were more frequently non-smokers (OR 0.07; 95%CI 0.01–0.85) and more often had an asthma action plan (OR 20.2; 1.55–263.41). Open questions’ analysis of untrained asthma patients revealed that patients felt they were not adequately informed about asthma education (37%). About one-third of all patients (27%) showed openness to online asthma education. Analysis of HL and eHealth showed no difference between the groups. Conclusion Untrained asthma patients should be informed even more intensively by their physicians about the importance and value of asthma education. Asthma education does not seem to benefit patients’ health literacy. Online asthma education is of interest to approximately one-third of asthma patients. This should be motivation to develop and implement online asthma education concepts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Bahtiar Bahtiar ◽  
Wiwi Saputri ◽  
Rostika Salenda Paseleng ◽  
Muh Akbar ◽  
Restu Abady

The elderly are vulnerable to experience health problems and physical deterioration characterized by high rates of chronic diseases among the elderly. Health literacy ability becomes crucial for the elderly with chronic diseases to treat and maintain their health. This study was aimed to describe the literacy levels of the elderly with chronic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic in Makassar. The method of study was a descriptive survey with a cross-sectional study. The research population is elderly with chronic diseases in Makassar city, and the samples are 124 elderly with age ≥60 years old and suffering chronic diseases more than six months in two selected sub-district. The research was conducted a cross-sectional survey, and descriptive univariate data analysis was used. The instrument was used Indonesia's health literacy short-form survey questionnaire (HLS-EU-SQ10-IDN). The result of this study reveals that the health literacy levels vary: insufficient criteria by 33.99%, problematic criteria by 49.2%, sufficient criteria by 16.1%, and perfect criteria by 0.8%. The results prove that the health literacy level of the elderly with chronic diseases is insufficient. This study concluded that the dominant level of the health literacy of the elderly with chronic diseases is inadequate and problematic. Health education program to improve their literacy is necessarily improved during the COVID-19 outbreak


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thu Quach ◽  
Lan Doan ◽  
Julia Liou ◽  
Ninez Ponce

BACKGROUND The diverse Asian American population is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but due to limited data and other factors, disparities for this population are hidden. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to describe the Asian American community’s experiences and impacts during this pandemic, focusing on the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, California, to better inform our health care services. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey in May-June 2020 with 1,297 Asian American participants, with questions on COVID-19-related testing and preventative behaviors, economic impacts of COVID-19, experience with anti-Asian violence, and mental health challenges. RESULTS We found that only 3% (n=39) were tested, and 49% stated that they could not find a place to get tested. Three-quarters of participants reported feeling stressed, and about one-quarter reported feeling depressed. 6% of participants reported being treated unfairly because of their race/ethnicity. 36.3% of participants had lost their regular jobs and 25.4% had reduced hours or reduced income. CONCLUSIONS Our findings highlight the longstanding need for culturally and linguistically-appropriate mental health services and resources. These findings led to the establishment of the first Asian multi-lingual and multi-cultural COVID-19 testing site in the county.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shivangini Singh ◽  
Sahana Devadasa Acharya ◽  
Ashwin Kamath ◽  
Sheetal D. Ullal ◽  
Rathnakar P. Urval

This study aimed to assess the health literacy (HL) of patients having diabetes mellitus, their understanding of prescription instructions (PI), and the correlation between HL and understanding of PI. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 263 adult diabetic patients who were assessed for their understanding of route of intake of the prescribed medication(s), frequency of intake, number of medication(s) to be consumed each time, indication for the medication(s), and the relation of drug intake with food. The HL of the patients was assessed by using Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine, a screening test comprising of 66 health-related words. The number of correctly pronounced words was used to assign a grade-equivalent reading level. There was a significant difference in the understanding of PI in patients with low and high HL levels. A significant difference was observed between the mean total score for interpreting PI in patients with 7 or fewer years of education compared with the other groups with a higher educational status (P<0.001). To conclude, diabetic patients with low HL level will have difficulty in understanding PI. Hence, an alternative comprehensive strategy needs to be adopted in clinical practice in these patients to provide them the instructions to take medications properly.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e029357
Author(s):  
Hannelore Storms ◽  
Bert Aertgeerts ◽  
Frank Vandenabeele ◽  
Neree Claes

ObjectivesTo support patients in their disease management, providing information that is adjusted to patients’ knowledge and ability to process health information (ie, health literacy) is crucial. To ensure effective health communication, general practitioners (GPs) should be able to identify people with limited health literacy. To this end, (dis)agreement between patients’ health literacy and GPs’ estimations thereof was examined. Also, characteristics impacting health literacy (dis)agreement were studied.DesignCross-sectional survey of general practice patients and GPs undertaken in 2016–17.SettingForty-one general practices in two Dutch-speaking provinces in Belgium.ParticipantsPatients (18 years of age and older) visiting general practices. Patients were excluded when having severe impairments (physical, mental, sensory).Main outcome measuresPatients’ health literacy was assessed with 16-item European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire. GPs indicated estimations on patients’ health literacy using a simple scale (inadequate; problematic; adequate). (Dis)agreement between patients’ health literacy and GPs’ estimations thereof (GPs’ estimations being equal to/higher/lower than patients’ health literacy) was measured using Kappa statistics. The impact of patient and GP characteristics, including duration of GP–patient relationships, on this (dis)agreement was examined using generalised linear logit model.ResultsHealth literacy of patients (n=1375) was inadequate (n=201; 14.6%), problematic (n=299; 21.7%), adequate (n=875; 63.6%). GPs overestimated the proportion patients with adequate health literacy: adequate (n=1241; 90.3%), problematic (n=130; 9.5%) and inadequate (n=4; 0.3%). Overall, GPs’ correct; over-/underestimations of health literacy occurred for, respectively, 60.9%; 34.2%; 4.9% patients, resulting in a slight agreement (κ=0.033). The likelihood for GPs to over-/underestimate patients’ health literacy increases with decreasing educational level of patients; and decreasing number of years patients have been consulting with their GP.ConclusionsIntuitively assessing health literacy is difficult. Patients’ education, the duration of GP–patient relationships and GPs’ gender impact GPs’ perceptions of patients’ health literacy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
E de Buhr ◽  
A Tannen

Abstract Background Health literacy (HL) is closely associated with leading health indicators. Parents represent a critical subgroup among the adult population since they are not only responsible for their own health but also for the health of their children. Previous research suggests that parents with low HL are less likely to meet the preventive and health care needs of their children but the relationship between parental HL and child health is not yet well understood. Methods A cross-sectional survey was implemented in 2017 in 28 public schools in Germany. The parent questionnaire was completed by 4217 caregivers and included the short form of the HLS-EU-Q16. The child questionnaire examined health knowledge, behaviors and outcomes. For children under 11 years, the caregiver reported on behalf of their children (N = 1518). In all other cases, the children completed the questionnaires (N = 2776). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were carried out. Results Among the interviewed parents, 45.8% showed a problematic or inadequate HL. Parents with higher HL reported a better subjective health and quality of life, and they judged their children as being healthier. The major determinant of high parental HL was socio-economic status (r=.088***). High parental HL was associated with positive health behaviors in children including higher consumption of fruits and vegetables, fewer sweetened beverages, regular tooth brushing and more physical activity. The relationships between parental HL and smoking, alcohol consumption, sexual activity among children and children’s weight were not significant. Conclusions The results confirm a relationship between low parental HL, SES and some problematic health behaviors in children. Strengthening the HL of vulnerable parents may contribute to improved health outcomes particularly in the areas of children’s nutrition, exercise and dental health, and parents should be integrated in school-based activities of health promotion and prevention. Key messages There is a strong statistical relationship between parental health literacy and socio-economic status. Parental health literacy is associated with child health behaviors (e.g., nutrition, exercise).


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Terragni ◽  
G Calogiuri ◽  
H Finbråten

Abstract Background People with an immigration background often have poorer health than the general population. Italians in Norway have tripled throughout the past 15-years, but little is known about their health. Health literacy (HL) has been emerging as a fundamental construct in enabling citizens to play an active role in improving their own and theirs community's health. The objective of our study was i) to describe HL among first-generation Italian immigrants in Norway, ii) examine the association between HL and health-related empowerment, and iii) compare HL in Italian immigrants with the general Norwegian population's. Methods The data was retrieved from a cross-sectional survey (n = 321) conducted within the study Mens Sana in Corpore Sano (inclusion criteria: age ≥18 years, living in Norway permanently, having lived in Italy at least until age 16). HL was measured using the short form of the European Health literacy survey questionnaire (HLS-Q12; α = 0.83). Empowerment was assessed using a 4-items scale (α = 0.73), developed on basis the World Health Organization's definition of individual empowerment and aspects of patient empowerment. Additionally, information about gender, age, educational level, and self-rated health was collected. Results Preliminary results indicated that 8% had inadequate HL, whereas about 40% had marginal HL. No significant differences in HL were observed in relation to gender, age, education level or general health. A medium correlation was found between HL and empowerment (r = 0.42, p &lt; 0.001). The Italian's HL was significantly lower than the general Norwegian population's (M±SD = 32.46±4.79 and 33.11 ± 4.12, respectively; p = 0.028). Conclusions This is the first study investigating HL and its associations with the health-related empowerment of first-generation Italian immigrants in Norway. More research is needed in order to better understand this phenomenon as well as the effectiveness of HL-enhancing initiatives. Key messages We investigated the levels of health literacy and health-related empowerment among first-generation Italian immigrants in Norway. The Italians’ heath literacy, which correlated with empowerment, was lower than the general Norwegian population’s. There were no differences across gender, age, education level or general health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vimal Sriram ◽  
Crispin Jenkinson ◽  
Michele Peters

Abstract Background Assistive Technology (AT) supports persons with dementia and their carers (family, friends and neighbours), yet little is known about experiences and the impact of AT on carers. We report on an exploratory survey that examined the types, uses, costs and impact of AT on carers as well as their quality of life. Methods A cross-sectional survey using the Carers Assistive Technology Experience Questionnaire collected data from carers in the UK, who used at least one AT in the previous year and provided more than 10 h of care for a person with dementia, living at home. Carers completed the questionnaire online or on paper and information on AT, socio-demographic details, and Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) data were collected. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to report results and draw conclusions. Results Data from 201 carers was analysed. Smartphones and tablet computers were the most frequently used AT. AT were used predominantly for safety, communication, and reminders. Carers usually make decisions on buying and continued use of AT. Multiple AT devices were used in the care of persons with dementia and number of AT used was associated with perceived satisfaction. Satisfaction with AT was not related to age, living arrangements and relationship of carers. From the SF-12, Mean Physical Component Score was 49.19 (95%CI- 47.75 to 50.63) and Mental Component Score was 45.37 (95%CI- 43.93 to 46.80). Women, carers in the 46–65 age group and carers who were not extremely satisfied with AT had lower MCS scores. Carers who lived with the person with dementia and older carers had lower PCS scores. Conclusions Carers report that AT has a beneficial impact. Carers use multiple ATs, perceive AT to be satisfactory and recommend AT use to others. To support carers, we recommend establishment of centrally funded information sources and a loan store for AT. Further research on incremental addition of AT and changes to formal/paid care because of using AT should be undertaken. Practitioners, academics, manufactures and policy makers should consider the experiences of carers in research, development and use of AT to facilitate improved community living of people with dementia.


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