Cardiovascular health literacy and patient–physician communication intervention in women from disadvantaged communities

Background For many women in low socioeconomic status communities, limited health literacy is an obstacle to following medical guidance and engaging in health-promoting behaviours. Low health literacy skills are also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Design A health literacy intervention was designed through focus groups with women in low socioeconomic status communities. The primary health literacy issue identified was communication challenges at doctors’ visits. A unique intervention tailored to the participants’ preferences was designed consisting of three workshops conducted in community women’s groups in low socioeconomic status Jerusalem communities. The intervention aimed to increase patient–physician communication skills through doctor visit preparation and better visit management, improve perceived efficacy in patient–physician interaction and expand cardiovascular disease knowledge. Methods Questionnaires were completed before and 3 months after the intervention, assessing knowledge of cardiovascular disease risk factors and symptoms, self-report of behaviours in preparations for a doctor’s visit, and perceived efficacy in patient–physician interaction. Results A total of 407 women from low socioeconomic status communities completed questionnaires. Post-intervention, the percentage of women that reported preparing for doctors’ visits increased significantly. Women with initially low levels of perceived efficacy in patient–physician interaction showed a significant increase in perceived efficacy, while initially higher perceived efficacy in patient–physician interaction participants showed a decrease. Participants also demonstrated an increase in knowledge of several risk factors for cardiovascular disease and heart attack symptoms. Conclusions A community-based cardiovascular health literacy intervention improved cardiovascular knowledge and reported doctor visit preparation in low socioeconomic status women as well as increased perceived efficacy in patient–physician interaction among participants with low baseline perceived efficacy in patient–physician interaction. This may lead to improved health care utilisation, preventing chronic illness. Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov , registration number: NCT03203018