scholarly journals Bit by Bit: Using Design-Based Research to Improve the Health Literacy of Adolescents

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. e62
Author(s):  
Mega Subramaniam ◽  
Beth St. Jean ◽  
Natalie Greene Taylor ◽  
Christie Kodama ◽  
Rebecca Follman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
After School ◽  
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged ◽  
Design Based Research ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related

Background Although a low health literacy level has been found to be among the most powerful predictors of poor health outcomes, there is very little research focused on assessing and improving the health literacy skills of adolescents, particularly those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. The vast majority of existing research focuses solely on reading comprehension, despite the fact that health literacy is actually a multifaceted concept, which entails many different types of skills. Objective The aim of this paper is to first mine existing literature to identify the many different skills that have been posited to constitute health literacy, and then, using this collection of skills as an overarching structure, to highlight the challenges that disadvantaged youth participating in our HackHealth after-school program encounter as they identify and articulate their health-related information needs, search for health-related information online, assess the relevance and credibility of this information, and manage and make use of it. Methods We utilized the design-based research method to design, implement, and revise our HackHealth program. To collect data regarding HackHealth participants’ health literacy skills and associated challenges, we used a variety of methods, including participant observation, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and logging of Web browser activities. We also collected data through specialized instructional activities and data collection forms that we developed for this purpose. Quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to analyze this data, as well as all of the artifacts that each student produced, including their final projects. Results We identified the various challenges that the 30 HackHealth participants faced in completing various health-related information activities during the course of the program. Based on these findings, we describe important implications for working with youth from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, how to assess and improve their health literacy skills, and offer specific recommendations for health literacy instruction aimed at this population. Conclusions With an increased societal focus on health and a shift from viewing patients as passive recipients of medical care to viewing them as active arbiters of their own health, today’s youth need to possess an array of health literacy skills to ensure that they can live long and healthy lives. Working with adolescents to help them develop and practice these skills will also help to break the cycle between poor health literacy and poor health outcomes, thereby reducing health disparities and improving the long-term outlook for the health of our nation.

Health Literacy From a Pediatrician's Perspective

2022 ◽  
pp. 251-273
Author(s):  
Nazan Sarper
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Fundamental Education ◽  
Training Activities

Health literacy describes individual's skills to understand and use the information on health issues, compliance to the prescribed therapeutic regimen, prevention of disease and accidents, filtering the information, and making good judgments to maintain a healthy life. Low school education and fundamental education and poverty are barriers to gain health literacy. If TV broadcasts are used optimally for training in health issues, they may reach many people. The density of the active physicians, nurses and midwives, national health coverage, and training activities of the civil associations for chronic disease contribute to health literacy. Controversy exists about the benefits and risks of social media and mass media to health literacy due to information pollution. Self-diagnosis and marketing of under-the-counter drugs are problems of the digital age. Some projects aiming to improve digital health literacy skills will help people to reach reliable health-related information. Communication skills of healthcare professionals are also important.

Health Literacy From a Pediatrician's Perspective

2020 ◽  
pp. 308-330
Author(s):  
Nazan Sarper
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Fundamental Education ◽  
Training Activities

Health literacy describes individual's skills to understand and use the information on health issues, compliance to the prescribed therapeutic regimen, prevention of disease and accidents, filtering the information, and making good judgments to maintain a healthy life. Low school education and fundamental education and poverty are barriers to gain health literacy. If TV broadcasts are used optimally for training in health issues, they may reach many people. The density of the active physicians, nurses and midwives, national health coverage, and training activities of the civil associations for chronic disease contribute to health literacy. Controversy exists about the benefits and risks of social media and mass media to health literacy due to information pollution. Self-diagnosis and marketing of under-the-counter drugs are problems of the digital age. Some projects aiming to improve digital health literacy skills will help people to reach reliable health-related information. Communication skills of healthcare professionals are also important.

scholarly journals Subjective Generic Health Literacy and Its Associated Factors among Adolescents: Results of a Population-Based Online Survey in Germany

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (22) ◽  
pp. 8682
Author(s):  
Anne-Kathrin M. Loer ◽  
Olga M. Domanska ◽  
Christiane Stock ◽  
Susanne Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Training Institutions ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Poor Health Literacy

Profound data on adolescent health literacy are needed as a requirement for the development of health literacy promoting interventions. This paper aims to study the level of generic health literacy among adolescents and to explore associations between health literacy and socio-demographic (age, sex, family affluence, migration background), social (social support by family and friends) and personal (self-efficacy) factors. We conducted a representative cross-sectional online survey. Four health literacy dimensions were captured among 14–17 years old adolescents living in Germany (n = 1235) with the “Measurement of Health Literacy Among Adolescents-Questionnaire” (MOHLAA-Q). Descriptive, bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to analyse the data (n = 1202). We found poor health literacy levels—to varying degrees—in all examined health literacy dimensions: dealing with health-related information (8.41% with many difficulties), health-related communication skills (28.13% with low skills), attitudes toward one’s own health and health information (8.81% with passive attitudes) and health-related knowledge (22.73% with low levels). We identified significant associations between poor health literacy levels and all factors studied except for age. Our results indicate a need for the implementation of evidence-based health literacy-related promoting interventions, preferentially in education and training institutions.

scholarly journals Using the Brief Health Literacy Screen in Chronic Care in French Hospital Settings: Content Validity of Patient and Healthcare Professional Reports

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Adèle Perrin ◽  
Luiza Siqueira do Prado ◽  
Amélie Duché ◽  
Anne-Marie Schott ◽  
Alexandra L. Dima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Content Validity ◽  
Chronic Care ◽  
Routine Care ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Concept Of Health ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Centered Care ◽  
Health Related ◽  
French Hospital

Person-centered care has led healthcare professionals (HCPs) to be more attentive to patients’ ability to understand and apply health-related information, especially those with chronic conditions. The concept of health literacy (HL) is essential in understanding patients’ needs in routine care, but its measurement is still controversial, and few tools are validated in French. We therefore considered the brief health literacy screen (BHLS) for assessing patient-reported HL in chronic care settings, and also developed an HCP-reported version of the BHLS with the aim of using it as a research instrument to assess HCPs’ evaluation of patients’ HL levels. We assessed the content validity of the French translation of both the patient-reported and HCP-reported BHLS in chronic care within hospital settings, through cognitive interviews with patients and HCPs. We performed qualitative analysis on interview data using the survey response Tourangeau model. Our results show that the BHLS is easy and quick to administer, but some terms need to be adapted to the French chronic care settings. Health-related information was observed to be mainly communicated orally, hence a useful direction for future literacy measures would be to also address verbal HL.

scholarly journals Promotion of Elementary School Students’ Health Literacy

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (24) ◽  
pp. 9560
Author(s):  
Elke Knisel ◽  
Helge Rupprich ◽  
Annika Wunram ◽  
Markus Bremer ◽  
Christiane Desaive
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
School Students ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Signed Rank ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Signed Rank Test

Health literacy is an important outcome of the discussion of school-related health education and health promotion in the 21st century. Although the improvement of health literacy at an early age is increasingly recognized and few interventions show the development of children´s health literacy, still there is little research in this area. The purpose of the study was to examine the enhancement of health literacy among children in a physical activity-based program at elementary school. In total, 137 students aged 6–12 years participated in the program, which included health knowledge transfer in child-appropriate games and exercises. Participants´ health literacy was assessed using the HLS-Child-Q15-DE at the beginning and the end of the program. The instrument measures the access, understanding, appraisal and application of health-related information on a four-point Likert-type scale. As expected, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed significant increases in self-reported health literacy over time. The results show that the degree of change in health literacy was not associated with gender or age. The results suggest that the physical activity-based program has the potential to improve elementary school children´s health literacy, even though in a single group pilot study.

scholarly journals Health literacy needs among unemployed adults: Triangulating interview and scoping review data

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
F Samkange-Zeeb ◽  
H Singh ◽  
M Lakeberg ◽  
J Kolschen ◽  
B Schüz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Nutrition And Physical Activity

Abstract   Disadvantaged populations, including unemployed adults, often exhibit low levels of health literacy. Exploring subjectively perceived health literacy needs in these populations can serve as an entry point for participatory intervention development. We aimed to assess health literacy needs of unemployed adults by triangulating qualitative interviews data and a scoping review. Using a parallel approach, we combined results of an interview study with 10 participants of a job-reintegration program in Germany and a scoping review. The interviews, conducted in early 2021, focused on health topics of interest to the participants and their sources of health-related information. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. For the scoping review, we searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo and SCOPUS up to January 2021 for studies containing “unemployed” AND “health literacy” in titles/abstracts. Study selection and data extraction were done independently by two researchers. Nutrition and physical activity emerged as core themes during the interviews, with some participants referring to the importance of both for mental health. Doctors and the institution running the job-reintegration program were the sources of health-related information often mentioned. The Corona pandemic was reported to have limited physical activity and affected psycho-social well-being. Five out of 2696 studies were included in the review. Four focused on mental health literacy, the fifth assessed information seeking practices in unemployed adults. The qualitative analysis revealed that health literacy needs of unemployed adults go beyond mental health literacy. As nutrition and physical activity impact mental health, interventions targeting such topics might also improve mental health literacy in unemployed adults. Study findings will be discussed with unemployed persons and social workers in co-production workshops that aim to identify and prioritize health literacy needs for intervention development. Key messages Health literacy programs for unemployed adults should target nutrition and physical activity. Workforce re-integration programs play a pivotal role in improving health literacy of unemployed adults.

Health literacy and adherence to psychiatric appointments: Study of an urban academic center

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 553-553
Author(s):  
A. Bizamcer ◽  
K. MacIntyre
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Short Version ◽  
Appointment Adherence ◽  
Temple University ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Academic Center ◽  
Health Related

IntroductionHealth literacy (HL) measures the ability of an individual to use health-related information in order to make appropriate health-related decisions and to navigate the healthcare system. It influences a variety of behaviors such as breastfeeding, medication adherence, or the use of screening tests. Research has shown that it is related to the treatment outcome of conditions such as HIV and diabetes.ObjectiveIt is the assumption of this study that health literacy also plays a role in psychiatric patients’ adherence to treatment; in particular, to outpatient psychiatric appointments.AimsWe hypothesized that patients with different health literacy levels would have different adherence rates to outpatient psychiatric appointments.MethodsThe study was conducted in 2006 in the Outpatient Psychiatry Department (OPD) of Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All English and Spanish-speaking patients of the OPD (potential N = 150) were invited to complete the short version of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (sTOFHLA), yielding three HL groups: adequate, marginal and inadequate. We explored the demographic and clinical correlates of HL and compared the three literacy groups with respect to their adherence to appointments during a 12-month period.ResultsOur study showed that, for our patient population, HL was not significantly related to any of the demographic and clinical variables included in our analysis except appointment adherence.ConclusionPatients with lower HL had lower adherence to appointments. These findings invite further research to explore the significance of HL.

Case Study on Patient Groups on Facebook in Turkey

2021 ◽  
pp. 149-174
Author(s):  
Aslıhan Ardıç Çobaner ◽  
Beste Sultan Gülgün
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Disease Patient ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Economic Determinants ◽  
Critical Health Literacy ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Patient Groups

Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and ageing population necessitate access to accurate health information for better health. The internet and social media affect and transform the communication of health-related information. Online platforms are enabling patients and patient groups to find common ground to discuss their health and diseases. Focusing on disease/patient group sites, this chapter investigates these sites through analyzing their features, inclusion of social and economic determinants of health in their contents, and level of critical health literacy calling for decision and action. Furthermore, these sites and their organization structures are analyzed by netnography. The findings show that disease/patient sites on Facebook are highly benefitted as an information and experience sharing platform. However, the critical health literacy level of the contents is quite low. Therefore, the role of social media as an improvement area for critical health literacy in health communication is getting more important.

Actual and perceived patient health literacy: How accurate are residents’ predictions?

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 290-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laci L Zawilinski ◽  
Heather Kirkpatrick ◽  
Barbara Pawlaczyk ◽  
Himabindu Yarlagadda
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Resident Physicians ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Negative Health Outcomes

Health literacy has repeatedly been shown to be associated with a multitude of negative health outcomes. Previous research has shown that patient health literacy levels are hard to predict by physicians and that assessment tools used to measure health literacy may be outdated or lacking. The purpose of this study is to replicate and extend the findings of previous research by examining residents’ ability to predict health literacy levels in patients and to use a newer validated measure of health literacy. A total of 38 patient encounters were included in this study. Patients were administered the Health Literacy Skills Instrument-Short Form to assess health literacy levels. Twenty resident physicians conducted visits with study participants and were asked to predict the health literacy of their patients. Results indicated that, consistent with previous research, residents’ predictions of patient health literacy were not consistent with patient health literacy levels as measured by the Health Literacy Skills Instrument-Short Form. Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed.

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