Relation of corona-specific health literacy to use of and trust in information sources during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Background COVID-19 has developed into a worldwide pandemic which was accompanied by an «infodemic» consisting of much false and misleading information. To cope with these new challenges, health literacy plays an essential role. The aim of this paper is to present the findings of a trend study in Switzerland on corona-specific health literacy, the use of and trust in information sources during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their relationships. Methods Three online surveys each with approximately 1′020 individuals living in the German-speaking part of Switzerland (age ≥ 18 years) were conducted at different timepoints during the COVID-19 pandemic, namely spring, fall and winter 2020. For the assessment of corona-specific health literacy, a specifically developed instrument (HLS-COVID-Q22) was used. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate data analyses have been conducted. Results In general, a majority of the Swiss-German population reported sufficient corona-specific health literacy levels which increased during the pandemic: 54.6% participants in spring, 62.4% in fall and 63.3% in winter 2020 had sufficient corona-specific health literacy. Greatest difficulties concerned the appraisal of health information on the coronavirus. The most used information sources were television (used by 73.3% in spring, 70% in fall and 72.3% in winter) and the internet (used by 64.1, 64.8 and 66.5%). Although health professionals, health authorities and the info-hotline were rarely mentioned as sources for information on the coronavirus, respondents had greatest trust in them. On the other hand, social media were considered as the least trustworthy information sources. Respondents generally reporting more trust in the various information sources, tended to have higher corona-specific health literacy levels. Conclusions Sufficient health literacy is an essential prerequisite for finding, understanding, appraising, and applying health recommendations, particularly in a situation where there is a rapid spread of a huge amount of information. The population should be supported in their capability in appraising the received information and in assessing the trustworthiness of different information sources.

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Information Behavior Factors Related to Satisfaction with Treatment Decisions in Parents of Children with Cancer (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.11993 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Makiko Watanabe

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Information Sources ◽

Information Behavior ◽

Treatment Decision ◽

Treatment Decisions ◽

Medical Institution ◽

Information Utilization ◽

Critical Health Literacy ◽

Satisfaction With Treatment ◽

Attending Physician

BACKGROUND Information behavior studies in modern medicine are indispensable not only for medical professionals but also in considering health outcomes for patients and health consumers. However, quantitative surveys do not provide sufficient information, and the medical information available on the Internet has not been analyzed in detail. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between information behavior and satisfaction with treatment decisions in patients and their family members and explore the characteristics of information behavior involved in treatment decisions. METHODS A retrospective, cross-sectional survey was conducted using a questionnaire (58 respondents, response rate 59.2%) for 105 parents of children with cancer at a children’s hospital in Japan. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine whether information behavior influenced satisfaction with treatment decisions, and correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationships between information behaviors. The analysis included 15 information sources and information behavior measured as the communicative health literacy, critical health literacy, and Shared Decision Making measured using the Functional, Communicative and Critical Health Literacy Scale and the Treatment Decision Satisfaction Scale consisting of 6 items. RESULTS The results regarding the RQ1 showed that the attending physician (P = .044), medical institution websites (P = .038), medical books/scientific papers (including those published in English; P = .020), and communicative health literacy (which reflects information utilization capability; P = .048), influenced satisfaction with treatment decisions. The results regarding the RQ2 showed that parents who used the attending physician as an information source did not receive information from other sources apart from a hospital medical professional. On the other hand, parents who used medical institution websites as information sources received various descriptive information. CONCLUSIONS We identified Internet-based information sources that influenced satisfaction with treatment decisions. We identified that the parent's information behavior tended to have a positive influence on the treatment decision when the attending physician and the medical institution’s Health Practitioner, HP, were the information sources, or when they recognized that there was a high communicative HL and utilized the information. Furthermore, the variables used to measure information behavior were divided into several groups based on association. Regarding satisfaction with treatment decisions correlating with each other, information behavior reflected the possibility of establishing links with information sources with direct influence, related information sources, and information utilization capability.

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Gender-specific health literacy of individuals with a migrant background: A mixed-method approach

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz185.358 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

A Aldin ◽

D Chakraverty ◽

A Baumeister ◽

I Monsef ◽

T Jakob ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Gender Differences ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Quantitative Review ◽

Migrant Background ◽

Qualitative Evidence ◽

Gender And Migration ◽

And Migration ◽

Gender Specific ◽

Specific Health

Abstract Background The project “Gender-specific health literacy in individuals with a migrant background (GLIM)” (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research; 01GL1723) aims to provide a comprehensive overview of international research and evidence on aspects of gender and migration related to health literacy. It encompasses primary and secondary research using a mixed-methods approach. Methods In a first step, we systematically review the available quantitative and qualitative evidence: in the first quantitative review, we meta-analyse the evidence on gender differences in health literacy of migrants. The second quantitative review assesses the effectiveness of interventions for improving health literacy in female and male migrants. The third review summarises qualitative evidence to assess factors associated with gender and migration that may play a role in the design, delivery, and effectiveness of such interventions. In a second step, we conduct primary research by performing focus group discussions (FGDs) with health care providers who regularly work with different migrant groups in order to explore their perspectives on the challenges and needs of migrants in the German health care system. Results To date, we identified 163 relevant references after screening of 17,932 references, for all reviews combined. Various health literacy interventions and measurement tools exist and require critical evaluation. The FGDs yielded hints to factors that a) influence gender differences in the health literacy of migrants (e.g. masculinity norms preventing Mediterranean men from consulting psychotherapists) or b) limit systemic health literacy (e.g. lack of translators). Conclusions Results from the FGDs can provide insights into the processes underlying the results of the reviews. However, despite increasing research, summarising the available evidence is highly challenging, as there are no universal definitions of the key concepts health literacy and migrant background. Key messages This is an interdisciplinary project, combining quantitative and qualitative evidence to provide maximum value to health policy and decision-making for the health care and health literacy of migrants. Research on gender-, and migration-specific aspects of health literacy is of great importance for the development and delivery of effective interventions for improving migrants’ health literacy.

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The carmine dilemma: does the natural colourant preference outweigh nausea?

British Food Journal ◽

10.1108/bfj-12-2017-0671 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 120 (8) ◽

pp. 1915-1928

Author(s):

Judith Müller-Maatsch ◽

Johannes Jasny ◽

Katharina Henn ◽

Claudia Gras ◽

Reinhold Carle

Keyword(s):

Design Methodology ◽

Consumer Perception ◽

Natural Food ◽

German Population ◽

Misleading Information ◽

Content Type ◽

Broad Cross Section ◽

First Time ◽

Self Administered Questionnaire ◽

Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the consumers’ perception of natural and artificial food colourants. Furthermore, attitudes towards the application of carmine, being technically important and ubiquitously used to impart red shades, are assessed and analysed. Originating from insects, carmine is considered as natural but may arouse disgust. Design/methodology/approach In total, 625 individuals were surveyed using an online, self-administered questionnaire to represent a broad cross-section of the German population. Findings Independent of their origin, the application of colourants was rejected by 57.0 per cent of the interviewees. In total, 31.8 per cent of the participants stated a neutral attitude, while only 11.2 per cent expressed a positive notion. Most respondents preferred colourants from natural sources to artificial ones. While consumers perceive natural food colourants composed of genuine plant pigments positively, 61.6 per cent of respondents disliked the application of animal-derived colourants, 24.8 per cent of them did neither reject nor like it, and only 13.6 per cent of the interviewees stated a positive attitude towards them. The findings of this paper further indicate consumers’ preference for colourants to be either artificial or plant-derived rather than carmine. Food colourants are being rejected, possibly due to misleading information and confusing labelling. Consequently, information about carmine, including its origin and production, did not increase the aversion to products that are dyed with it, but increased their acceptance. Originality/value This study outlines consumer perception and attitudes towards food colourants. For the first time, the findings of this paper report the effect of revealing information about an additive, which initially aroused disgust, and its influence on consumer perception.

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Rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in some French regions, June 2021

Eurosurveillance ◽

10.2807/1560-7917.es.2021.26.28.2100573 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (28) ◽

Author(s):

Samuel Alizon ◽

Stéphanie Haim-Boukobza ◽

Vincent Foulongne ◽

Laura Verdurme ◽

Sabine Trombert-Paolantoni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Rapid Growth ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Rapid Spread ◽

Public Health Authorities ◽

Alpha Variant

We analysed 9,030 variant-specific RT-PCR tests performed on SARS-CoV-2-positive samples collected in France between 31 May and 21 June 2021. This analysis revealed rapid growth of the Delta variant in three of the 13 metropolitan French regions and estimated a +79% (95% confidence interval: 52–110%) transmission advantage compared with the Alpha variant. The next weeks will prove decisive and the magnitude of the estimated transmission advantages of the Delta variant could represent a major challenge for public health authorities.

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Sprachgeographische Aspekte der Morphologie und Verschriftung in schweizerdeutschen Chats

Linguistik Online ◽

10.13092/lo.15.818 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Beat Siebenhaar

Keyword(s):

The Other ◽

Chat Rooms ◽

Swiss German ◽

Alpine Regions ◽

Identical Distribution ◽

Other Hand ◽

Traditional Structure ◽

Spontaneous Writing ◽

German Speaking

The regional chat-rooms in Switzerland show an extremely high portion of dialectal contributions (up to 90%). This non-standardized spontaneous writing of a dialectal language still reflects the geolinguistic distribution described in the linguistic atlas of German speaking Switzerland SDS (1962-1997) based on recordings of the 1940s and 1950s. This paper shows some reflexes of this geolinguistic distribution in four chat-rooms. The graphemic representation of the ending vowel of infinitives clearly confirms the traditional structure. Deviating e-graphemes in chat-rooms of alpine regions can be rated as common Swiss German variants for centralized vowels. On the other hand ä-graphemes in chat-rooms of the Swiss midlands are to be rated as marking of the phonetic deviation from the standard German pronunciation. This variation is not only found in inherited words, but also in neologisms with an almost identical distribution. The SDS illustrates a distribution for the use of t-endings in the 2nd and 3rd singular of sein 'to be'. These t-flexives cannot be found anymore in midland chat-rooms. They appear only in alpine chat-rooms, and there they become morphologized in a new way. The dialectal writing of neologisms confirms the validity of the principles for the Standard German writing.

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Development of an LGB-specific health literacy scale

Health Communication ◽

10.1080/10410236.2017.1372052 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 33 (12) ◽

pp. 1531-1538 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michele J. Eliason ◽

Predair Robinson ◽

Kimberly Balsam

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Specific Health

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Heart Failure-Specific Health Literacy Scale

PsycTESTS Dataset ◽

10.1037/t62726-000 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Shiho Matsuoka ◽

Naoko Kato ◽

Takahiro Kayane ◽

Michiyo Yamada ◽

Masako Koizumi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Specific Health

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Peculiarities of health literacy in people with mental disorders: A cross-sectional study

International Journal of Social Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0020764019873683 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

pp. 10-22 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pauline Katharina Mantell ◽

Annika Baumeister ◽

Hildegard Christ ◽

Stephan Ruhrmann ◽

Christiane Woopen

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Health Information ◽

General Health ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Behavioural Change ◽

German Population ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

General Health Status ◽

Cross Sectional

Background: Health literacy (HL) is considered a key concept to positively address relevant decisions concerning physical and mental health. According to an integrated model of a European Consortium, the process to access, understand, appraise and apply health information is at the centre of practising HL. Aim: In this study, we examine HL in a population with an early onset of a mental disorder (MD). Methods: Results are based on a cross-sectional survey among people with MD ( n = 310) who sought help at an early detection centre for MD in Cologne, Dresden or Munich. Help-seekers filled out the European Health Literacy Survey questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q) on perception-based HL, socio-demographic data and general health status. Psychopathology was assessed separately by trained specialists. Data are compared with a representative sample of the German population. Results: Overall, HL was lower in a sample with MD compared with the general population. Disease-specific limitations were present in accessing, appraising and applying health information, whereas understanding was perceived fairly easy. Statistical analysis of limited HL revealed correlations with the diagnosis of affective disorders and anxiety disorders, an increase of depressive symptoms as well as the presence of more than one MD. In line with these findings, low levels of HL were associated with a worse general health status. Conclusion: In a population with MD, accessing, appraising and applying health information seemed to be particularly challenging. Therefore, educational programmes that mainly focus on increasing knowledge might not be sufficient for improving the HL in people with MD. Further research should concentrate on context-specific HL to foster behavioural change and improve overall health.

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EDUCATION, LITERACY, NUMERACY AND HEALTH INFORMATION SEEKING IN LATER LIFE

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1174 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S322-S322

Author(s):

Takashi Yamashita ◽

Anthony R Bardo ◽

Roberto J Millar ◽

Shalini Sahoo ◽

Phyllis Cummins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Health Information ◽

Information Seeking ◽

Information Sources ◽

Later Life ◽

Health Information Seeking ◽

Education And Health ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Information Seeking Behaviors

Abstract Health information plays a critical role for health promotion and maintenance in later life. While health information seeking is primarily driven by need (e.g., health), significantly less is known about the roles of education and health-literacy. Thus, we examine complex pathways that link health information seeking behaviors with education and health literacy (decomposed into general literacy and numeracy), and how these pathways differ by health status among a nationally representative sample of Americans age 50 and older (n = 2,750). Data come from the 2012/2014 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies. Multi-group structural equation models were used to examine the use of eight health information sources (newspapers, magazines, internet, radio, TV, books, friends/family, and health professionals) by health status (good vs. poor). Findings showed that literacy and numeracy are significant mediators of the relationship between education and health professional as an information source. Additionally, the mediation effects on health professionals by literacy status [indirect-effect (good vs. poor health) = 0.48 vs. 2.13, p < 0.05] and numeracy [indirect-effect (good vs. poor health) = -0.47 vs. -1.81, p < 0.05] were significantly moderated by health. At the same time, no moderated mediation effect was observed in the use of any other information sources. This study provides some of the first nationally representative evidence regarding how education functions through health literacy components to shape health information seeking behaviors by health status. Explanations and implications for differing effects of education, literacy, and numeracy on health information seeking in later life were evaluated.

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