Generic Health Literacy Measurements for Adults: A Scoping Review

Background: Generic health literacy measurement (GHLM) is an important tool to identify individuals with limited health literacy and can assist the design of tailored interventions for improving public health literacy. However, there is no consensus on measuring generic health literacy. The present study aims to review current GHLM used for adults in the literature. Methods: A scoping review was undertaken to map the available measurements designed to assess generic health literacy. Results: The review identified 19 GHLM for adults. Most of them applied a multidimensional definition of health literacy with a focus on individuals’ abilities to access, appraise, understand, and apply health information and services. Nutbeam’s conceptual model and Sørensen’s integrated model were widely used among the identified measures as the theoretical foundation. While the social determinants of health (SDH) were acknowledged in the two models, it remains unmentioned in many of the identified measures based on the Nutbeam’s model and needs further development in the measure based on the Sørensen’s model. A total of 39 different domains were assessed in the 19 measurements: prose was identified in 8 measurements and was the most prominent domain; followed by numeracy (n = 7) and interactive (n = 7). SDH related domains such as social support (n = 3), social capital (n = 1) were seldom included in the identified measurements. Conclusions: Although current GHLM adopted a multidimensional construct, they mainly focused on individuals’ abilities and SDH has not been well-developed in the assessment. Further research is required to advance the measuring of the interaction between SDH and health literacy.

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Health Literacy

Advances in Human Services and Public Health - Handbook of Research on Adult and Community Health Education ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-6260-5.ch016 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 280-307

Author(s):

Glenda Denson Knight

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Status ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Quality Healthcare ◽

Limited Health Literacy ◽

Improvement Strategies ◽

Limited Health ◽

Definition Of ◽

Barriers To Health ◽

The U.S

The design of the U.S. healthcare system along with increasing expectations of individuals create barriers to health care. One barrier is limited Health Literacy (HL). This essential healthcare ingredient is often disregarded (Murphy-Knoll, 2007). There is debate concerning the definition of HL (Sorensen, Van den Broucke, Fullam, Doyle, Pelikan, Slonska, & Brand, 2012). Still, there is consensus that HL is necessary for quality healthcare (Parker & Gazmararian, 2003) and that HL deficiencies must be addressed. Limited HL independently contributes to poorer health status, greater risk of hospitalizations, and increased likelihood of mortality (Hanchate, Ash, Gazmararian, Wolf, & Paasche-Orlow, 2008; Jeppesen, Coyle, & Miser, 2009). Much is known about HL. Still, few advancements have been made due to gaps between what we know about HL, and the application of that knowledge (Ishikiawa & Kiuchi, 2010). The purpose of this chapter is to provide a HL overview and recommend improvement strategies.

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Towards appropriate information provision for and decision-making with patients with limited health literacy in hospital-based palliative care in Western countries: a scoping review into available communication strategies and tools for healthcare providers

BMC Palliative Care ◽

10.1186/s12904-019-0421-x ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Janneke Noordman ◽

Liesbeth van Vliet ◽

Menno Kaunang ◽

Maria van den Muijsenbergh ◽

Gudule Boland ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Palliative Care ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Communication Strategies ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Information Provision ◽

Limited Health Literacy ◽

Western Countries ◽

Limited Health

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Health Literacy

Medical Education and Ethics ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-0978-3.ch002 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 22-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Glenda Denson Knight

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Status ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Quality Healthcare ◽

Limited Health Literacy ◽

Improvement Strategies ◽

Limited Health ◽

Definition Of ◽

Barriers To Health ◽

The U.S

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A Scoping Review of Health Literacy Measurement Tools in the Context of Cardiovascular Health

Health Education & Behavior ◽

10.1177/1090198119831754 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 46 (4) ◽

pp. 677-688 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Rita Wai Yu Chan ◽

Adnan Kisa

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Cardiovascular Health ◽

Measurement Tool ◽

Care Providers ◽

Valid Measurement ◽

Broad Concept ◽

Measurement Tools ◽

Health Literacy Measurement ◽

Print Literacy

Background. Despite the strong link between health literacy and cardiovascular health outcomes, health literacy measurements remain flawed and fragmented. There exists a gap in the knowledge when formulating a valid measurement to capture the broad concept of health literacy. The existence of various tools for health literacy measurement also hampers the availability of health literacy data. Additionally, little research is available on a valid measurement tool for cardiovascular health literacy. Objective. This study aims to provide an overview of the health literacy measurement tools used in the context of cardiovascular health. Method. A scoping review was conducted. Two electronic databases, Medline and Embase, were searched to identify studies that described a tool for the measurement of health literacy in the context of cardiovascular health. Results. After reviewing the available studies, 53 studies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 26 health literacy measurement tools were identified in the studies. Among the 26 tools, 16 used an objective measurement approach, 9 adopted a subjective approach, and 1 employed a mixed approach. Additionally, 28 studies used tools to measure print literacy, 15 studies measured print literacy and numeracy, and 5 studies measured print literacy, oral literacy, and numeracy. Conclusions. STOFHLA, TOFHLA, and REALM were the mostly commonly used tools in the selected studies. The majority of tools were based heavily on reading skills and word recognition. Researchers should focus on the development of more comprehensive and reliable health literacy measurement tool(s) specific to cardiovascular health to assist health care providers to more efficiently and accurately identify people with cardiovascular problems who have inadequate health literacy.

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Malaysian Health Literacy: Scorecard Performance from a National Survey

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18115813 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 5813

Author(s):

Norrafizah Jaafar ◽

Komathi Perialathan ◽

Manimaran Krishnan ◽

Nurashma Juatan ◽

Masitah Ahmad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Nationwide Survey ◽

Population Based ◽

Average Score ◽

Future Health ◽

Limited Health Literacy ◽

Health Literacy Level ◽

Prevention And Health Promotion ◽

Literacy Level ◽

Limited Health

Health literacy is an indicator of a society’s ability to make better health judgements for themselves and the people around them. This study investigated the prevalence of health literacy among Malaysian adults and provided an overall picture of the society’s current health literacy status, which has not been previously assessed. The study also highlighted socio-demographic markers of communities with limited health literacy that may warrant future intervention. A population-based self-administered survey using the Health Literacy Survey Malaysian Questionnaire18 (HLS-M-Q18) instrument was conducted as part of the National Health Morbidity Survey 2019 in Malaysia. The nationwide survey utilized a two-staged stratified random sampling method. A sample of 9478 individuals aged 18 and above, drawn from the living quarter list, participated in the study. The health literacy score was divided into three levels; limited, sufficient, and excellent. Findings showed a majority of the Malaysian population had a sufficient health literacy level in all three domains—healthcare, diseases prevention and health promotion (49.1%, 44.2%, and 47.5%, respectively)—albeit leaning towards the lower end of the category with an average score of 35.5. The limited health literacy groups were prevalent among respondents with older age (68%), lower education level (64.8%), and lower household income (49.5%). The overall health literacy status for Malaysia was categorized at a lower sufficiency level. Future health literacy improvements should focus on communities with a limited health literacy level to improve the overall score.

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Health literacy level in a various nephrology population from Québec: predialysis clinic, in-centre hemodialysis and home dialysis; a transversal monocentric observational study

BMC Nephrology ◽

10.1186/s12882-021-02464-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Annabel Boyer ◽

Yannick Begin ◽

Julie Dupont ◽

Mathieu Rousseau-Gagnon ◽

Nicolas Fernandez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Observational Study ◽

Health Information ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Good Health ◽

Sufficient Information ◽

Home Dialysis ◽

Limited Health Literacy ◽

Limited Health

Abstract Background Health literacy refers to the ability of individuals to gain access to, use, and understand health information and services in order to maintain a good health. It is especially important in nephrology due to the complexity of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present study sought to define health literacy levels in patients followed in predialysis clinic, in-center dialysis (ICHD), peritoneal dialysis (PD) and home hemodialysis (HHD). Methods This transversal monocentric observational study analysed 363 patients between October 2016 and April 2017. The Brief Health Literacy Screen (BHLS) and the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) were used to measure health literacy. Multivariate linear regressions were used to compare the mean scores on the BHLS and HLQ, across the four groups. Results Patients on PD had a significantly higher BHLS’score than patients on ICHD (p = 0.04). HLQ’s scores differed across the groups: patients on HHD (p = 0.01) and PD (p = 0.002) were more likely to feel understood by their healthcare providers. Compared to ICHD, patients on HHD were more likely to have sufficient information to manage their health (p = 0.02), and patients in the predialysis clinic were more likely to report high abilities for health information appraisal (p < 0.001). Conclusion In a monocentric study, there is a significant proportion of CKD patients, especially in predialysis clinic and in-centre hemodialysis, with limited health literacy. Patients on home dialysis (HHD and PD) had a higher level of health literacy compared to the other groups.

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Can Screening Items Identify Surgery Patients at Risk of Limited Health Literacy?

Journal of Surgical Research ◽

10.1016/j.jss.2007.01.029 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 140 (2) ◽

pp. 208-213 ◽

Cited By ~ 75

Author(s):

Lorraine S. Wallace ◽

David C. Cassada ◽

Edwin S. Rogers ◽

Michael B. Freeman ◽

Oscar H. Grandas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Limited Health Literacy ◽

Patients At Risk ◽

Limited Health

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AB0300 LUPUS DISEASE ACTIVITY CORRELATES WITH QUALITY OF LIFE BUT NOT WITH HEALTH LITERACY STATUS

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-eular.581 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. 1176.2-1176

Author(s):

E. Eraslan ◽

R. Bilici Salman ◽

H. Satiş ◽

A. Avanoglu Guler ◽

H. Karadeniz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Patient Reported Outcome ◽

The Body ◽

Limited Health Literacy ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Limited Health

Background:Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease of unknown etiology that can affect any organ of the body. SLE is associated with adverse effects on both health and non-health-related quality of life (HRQOL and non-HRQOL). Lupus PRO is a patient reported outcome measure that has been validated in many languages. It has 44 items that cover both HRQOL and non-HRQOL (1). Health literacy is 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. Multiple studies indicate that people with limited health literacy have worse health status and higher rates of hospitalization (2).Objectives:We aimed to evaluate the relationship between the LLDAS (Lupus Low Disease Activity State) criteria and the Lupus PRO test, as well as the health literacy status of lupus patients.Methods:83 SLE patients (94% women) were included in the study. We performed Lupus PRO and the European Health Literacy Survey tests during the routine follow-up visits of lupus patients to our rheumatology outpatient clinic and admissions to rheumatology inpatient clinic. Available clinical data on medical records were obtained, physician global assessments (PGA) were recorded by the attending physician.Results:LLDAS criteria strongly and inversely correlated with the total score, as well as the mood subunit of the Lupus PRO. Similarly, it also significantly inversely correlated with the body appearence and goals subunits. Health literacy status of the patients did not correlate with their LLDAS scores, ie their disease activities.Conclusion:Our results suggest that lupus disease activity, assessed by LLDAS criteria, significantly correlates with measures of quality of life, spesicifically Lupus PRO test, but not with health literacy status. Further studies are needed to evaluate if health literacy is related with damage, hospitalization or mortality associated with lupus.References:[1]Jolly M, Pickard AS, Block JA, Kumar RB, Mikolaitis RA, Wilke CT, et al., editors. Disease-specific patient reported outcome tools for systemic lupus erythematosus. Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism; 2012: Elsevier.[2]Paasche-Orlow MK, Parker RM, Gazmararian JA, Nielsen-Bohlman LT, Rudd RR. The prevalence of limited health literacy. Journal of general internal medicine. 2005;20(2):175-84.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

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