A Study of the Health Literacy Needs of People With Visual Impairments

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracie Harrison ◽  
Sarah Guy ◽  
Michael Mackert ◽  
Janiece Walker ◽  
Pat Pound
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Eye Health ◽  
Visual Function Questionnaire ◽  
Barriers To Health ◽  
Multiple Health

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to understand preferences surrounding health literacy for 18 men and women with permanent and severe visual impairment (VI). Participants completed demographic questions—the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ)—and 1 semi-structured interview to ascertain views on obtaining, processing, and understanding health information. Overall, the sample had low total eye health scores on the NEI-VFQ—indicating that the sample represented a group with severe visual impairments. The sample mentioned multiple health promotion topics of interest and types of devices used to gain information. They also described multiple barriers to health information, which could be eliminated. Implications for intervention development and technology use are provided.

A Participatory Photonovel as a Linguistic Tool for Educating ESL-Speaking Immigrant Women About Health Information

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Nimmon
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Culturally Relevant ◽  
Immigrant Women ◽  
Barriers To Health Care ◽  
Informational Barriers ◽  
Barriers To Health ◽  
Literacy Tool

Issues such as the linguistic and informational barriers to health care must be addressed if immigrant women are to achieve optimum health status for themselves and their families. This study used a participatory photonovel as a tool to educate ESL-speaking immigrant women about health information. This research illustrates five ESL-speaking immigrant women’s responses to the use of a participatory photonovel as a health literacy tool. The findings reveal the women’s perspectives on the use of culturally relevant visuals and simplified English in the photonovel as being conducive to their understanding of health information.

scholarly journals Preferences and Experiences of People with Chronic Illness in Using Different Sources of Health Information: Results of a Mixed-Methods Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 13185
Author(s):  
Svea Gille ◽  
Lennert Griese ◽  
Doris Schaeffer
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Adequate Health Literacy ◽  
Sources Of Health Information ◽  
Different Sources

Background: People with chronic illness are particularly dependent on adequate health literacy (HL), but often report difficulties in accessing, understanding, appraising, and applying health information. To strengthen the HL of people with chronic illness, in-depth knowledge about how they deal with health information is crucial. Methods: To this end, quantitative data from the Second Health Literacy Survey Germany (HLS-GER 2) and qualitative data from seven focus group discussions were used to examine the interest in health information, preferred sources of information as well as experiences and challenges with information management among people with chronic illness. Results: The results show that people with chronic illness have a great interest in health information and use very different sources of health information, preferring personal information from physicians most. The results also point to several challenges in health information management that seem to be influenced by the illness duration as well as by the experiences made with the respective sources. Conclusions: Overall, the study provides important starting points for intervention development for the provision and communication of health-related information, but also to research on health information behavior and HL.

A Qualitative Exploratory Study in Health Information and Health Communication Leadership in the Age of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 27-35
Author(s):  
Delores Springs
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Public Officials ◽  
Misleading Information ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
Barriers To Health

Low health literacy is a public health scourge. Health information and health literacy around COVID-19 is a miscalculated public health conundrum. Zarocostas referred to the COVID-19 not as a pandemic, but an info-demic because of the need for patients to be more health literate when they are being bombarded by inaccurate or misleading information from social media, public officials, and family. During a global pandemic, the need to understand and explore the nuances of health literacy has never been more pressing. This qualitative exploratory study uses the expertise of subject matter experts on health literacy to classify the barriers to health information literacy, the best practices for improving health information literacy, and the additional measures taken by medical providers during the COVID-19 outbreak ensure that patients have the most accurate and useful health information.

Development of an instrument measuring Navigation Health Literacy in the Health Literacy Survey 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Griese ◽  
D Schaeffer ◽  
E Berens ◽  
P Nowak ◽  
J Pelikan
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Population Studies ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Comparable Data ◽  
Literacy Survey ◽  
The Right ◽  
Final Instrument

Abstract Background Complex and intransparent structures are the main reasons why it is difficult for patients to navigate the healthcare system. Thus, patients need specific competencies to deal with health information related to orientation and finding the right pathways through the healthcare system. The aim was therefore to develop an internationally applicable instrument for measuring Navigation Health Literacy (N-HL) within the European Health Literacy Survey 2019 (HLS19). Methods Item development was conducted by a working group within the HLS19 consortium. It consisted of a scoping review on definitions, concepts and instruments, development of a definition of N-HL, a concept mapping and first item formation. The items were further developed by an evaluation by 6 experts, 4 focus group discussions, and feedback from members of the HLS19 Consortium. Finally, the feedback was integrated into the instrument and pretested in 33 interviews. Results 10 publications providing concepts and instruments assessing navigational aspects were identified, but the process of dealing with information was scarcely considered. Therefore, based on the HL definition by Sørensen et al. (2012) N-HL was defined as difficulties in finding, understanding, appraising and applying health information for navigating the healthcare system. In total, 10 tasks at system, organization and interaction level emerged within this definition, on which the final instrument is based. Of 15 initial items, 3 items were assessed as not relevant by experts. The feedback from focus group and HLS19 discussions lead to further revision and addition of items. The final instrument consists of 12 items which proved to be applicable in the pretest. Conclusions The instrument can be used to assess N-HL in international population studies and has been used within the HLS19 study to generate internationally comparable data on N-HL for the first time. By that it can form a basis for intervention development and monitoring. Key messages An instrument for measuring navigation health literacy (N-HL) is important to assess and monitor difficulties of patients to navigate the healthcare system and to underpin intervention development. The N-HL instrument of HLS19 can be used to assess N-HL in international population studies and provides internationally comparable data.

scholarly journals The Voices of Persons Living With Dementia: Exploring Their Information Needs to Live Well

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 60-60
Author(s):  
Michelle Kimzey ◽  
Ramona Baucham ◽  
Chelsea Martin ◽  
Carol Howe
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Health Decisions ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Care Partners ◽  
Diagnosis Of Dementia ◽  
Services And Supports

Abstract There are unique challenges and considerations when receiving the diagnosis of dementia. There are interventions, services, and supports for people with dementia and their care partners, yet they are often unknown, disconnected, and may not be widely available or easily accessible. Health literacy was defined as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Using a descriptive qualitative design, the purpose of this study was to describe how persons living with dementia and their care partners obtain, understand, and use information to make health decisions to live well with dementia. The convenience sample consisted of 28 care partners and 15 people living with dementia participating in 6 separate focus groups. To illuminate findings, data was analyzed using a hybrid approach (deductive followed by inductive). Four themes emerged deductively as persons gain health literacy in dementia (access, understand, appraise, and understand). The notable finding is the trend at diagnosis where they first are “seeking the expert” ,and as they move from dependence and gain understanding they are “becoming the expert”, and finally as they apply information they are “acting as the expert” for themselves and others. Engaging them in research not only gave them a voice but more importantly it influenced the health information that will be developed and implemented by them. These findings suggest there is a wealth of knowledge to be gained by persons living with dementia and their care partners.

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