Literacy Level and Vocational Training for Substance-Using Hispanic Adults

2012 ◽  
pp. 69-81
Author(s):  
Michele M. Wood ◽  
Dennis G. Fisher ◽  
Grace L. Reynolds ◽  
Yesenia Guzman ◽  
William C. Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
Prevention Services ◽  
Reading Abilities

The Hispanic population has become the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. To successfully incorporate this population in adult vocational training, social service, and health programs, it is essential that programs design and implement materials at a reading level appropriate for the population served. This study determines the reading level in a population of Hispanic adult substance users receiving HIV prevention services in Long Beach, California. One hundred seven Spanish speakers were administered the Spanish Reading Comprehension Test. Spanish reading ability was determined to be at the third grade level for this sample. Results suggest that substance-using subpopulations of Spanish speakers in the Southwest United States face considerable language and literacy barriers. Findings have implications for adult vocational training as well as social service and health programs that include Hispanic subpopulations, and highlight the importance of designing materials that do not exceed the reading abilities of target populations.

Literacy Level and Vocational Training for Substance-Using Hispanic Adults

2014 ◽  
pp. 1114-1126
Author(s):  
Michele M. Wood ◽  
Dennis G. Fisher ◽  
Grace L. Reynolds ◽  
Yesenia Guzman ◽  
William C. Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
Prevention Services ◽  
Reading Abilities

The Hispanic population has become the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. To successfully incorporate this population in adult vocational training, social service, and health programs, it is essential that programs design and implement materials at a reading level appropriate for the population served. This study determines the reading level in a population of Hispanic adult substance users receiving HIV prevention services in Long Beach, California. One hundred seven Spanish speakers were administered the Spanish Reading Comprehension Test. Spanish reading ability was determined to be at the third grade level for this sample. Results suggest that substance-using subpopulations of Spanish speakers in the Southwest United States face considerable language and literacy barriers. Findings have implications for adult vocational training as well as social service and health programs that include Hispanic subpopulations, and highlight the importance of designing materials that do not exceed the reading abilities of target populations.

Literacy Level and Vocational Training for Substance-Using Hispanic Adults

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-54
Author(s):  
Michele M. Wood ◽  
Dennis G. Fisher ◽  
Grace L. Reynolds ◽  
Yesenia Guzman ◽  
William C. Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
Language And Literacy

The Hispanic population has become the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. To successfully incorporate this population in adult vocational training, social service, and health programs, it is essential that programs design and implement materials at a reading level appropriate for the population served. This study determines the reading level in a population of Hispanic adult substance users receiving HIV prevention services in Long Beach, California. One hundred seven Spanish speakers were administered the Spanish Reading Comprehension Test. Spanish reading ability was determined to be at the third grade level for this sample. Results suggest that substance-using subpopulations of Spanish speakers in the Southwest United States face considerable language and literacy barriers. Findings have implications for adult vocational training as well as social service and health programs that include Hispanic subpopulations, and highlight the importance of designing materials that do not exceed the reading abilities of target populations.

An American Language

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosina Lozano
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Language Recognition ◽  
Political Language ◽  
Political Issue ◽  
History Of ◽  
The U.S

An American Language is a political history of the Spanish language in the United States. The nation has always been multilingual and the Spanish language in particular has remained as an important political issue into the present. After the U.S.-Mexican War, the Spanish language became a language of politics as Spanish speakers in the U.S. Southwest used it to build territorial and state governments. In the twentieth century, Spanish became a political language where speakers and those opposed to its use clashed over what Spanish's presence in the United States meant. This book recovers this story by using evidence that includes Spanish language newspapers, letters, state and territorial session laws, and federal archives to profile the struggle and resilience of Spanish speakers who advocated for their language rights as U.S. citizens. Comparing Spanish as a language of politics and as a political language across the Southwest and noncontiguous territories provides an opportunity to measure shifts in allegiance to the nation and exposes differing forms of nationalism. Language concessions and continued use of Spanish is a measure of power. Official language recognition by federal or state officials validates Spanish speakers' claims to US citizenship. The long history of policies relating to language in the United States provides a way to measure how U.S. visions of itself have shifted due to continuous migration from Latin America. Spanish-speaking U.S. citizens are crucial arbiters of Spanish language politics and their successes have broader implications on national policy and our understanding of Americans.

scholarly journals Understanding and Promoting Racial Diversity in Healthcare Settings to Address Disparities in Pandemic Crisis Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110183
Author(s):  
Azza Sarfraz ◽  
Zouina Sarfraz ◽  
Alanna Barrios ◽  
Kuchalambal Agadi ◽  
Sindhu Thevuthasan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
Clinical Training ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
The United States ◽  
Majority Group

Background: Health disparities have become apparent since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. When observing racial discrimination in healthcare, self-reported incidences, and perceptions among minority groups in the United States suggest that, the most socioeconomically underrepresented groups will suffer disproportionately in COVID-19 due to synergistic mechanisms. This study reports racially-stratified data regarding the experiences and impacts of different groups availing the healthcare system to identify disparities in outcomes of minority and majority groups in the United States. Methods: Studies were identified utilizing PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Plus, and PsycINFO search engines without date and language restrictions. The following keywords were used: Healthcare, raci*, ethnic*, discriminant, hosti*, harass*, insur*, education, income, psychiat*, COVID-19, incidence, mortality, mechanical ventilation. Statistical analysis was conducted in Review Manager (RevMan V.5.4). Unadjusted Odds Ratios, P-values, and 95% confidence intervals were presented. Results: Discrimination in the United States is evident among racial groups regarding medical care portraying mental risk behaviors as having serious outcomes in the health of minority groups. The perceived health inequity had a low association to the majority group as compared to the minority group (OR = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.22 to 0.78; P = .007), and the association of mental health problems to the Caucasian-American majority group was low (OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.45 to 0.58; P < .001). Conclusion: As the pandemic continues into its next stage, efforts should be taken to address the gaps in clinical training and education, and medical practice to avoid the recurring patterns of racial health disparities that become especially prominent in community health emergencies. A standardized tool to assess racial discrimination and inequity will potentially improve pandemic healthcare delivery.

scholarly journals Bladder Cancer Health Literacy: Assessing Readability of Online Patient Education Materials

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Lauren E. Powell ◽  
Theodore I. Cisu ◽  
Adam P. Klausner
Keyword(s):  
Bladder Cancer ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Patient Education ◽  
Search Engine ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Health Care Expenditure ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
T Test ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
Grade Reading Level

BACKGROUND: Understanding of health-related materials, termed health literacy, affects decision makings and outcomes in the treatment of bladder cancer. The National Institutes of Health recommend writing education materials at a sixth-seventh grade reading level [6]. The goal of this study is to assess readability of bladder cancer materials available online. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to characterize available information about bladder cancer online and evaluate readability. METHODS: Materials on bladder cancer were collected from the American Urological Association’s Urology Care Foundation (AUA-UCF) and compared to top 50 websites by search engine results. Resources were analyzed using four different validated readability assessment scales. The mean and standard deviation of the materials was calculated, and a two-tailed t test for used to assess for significance between the two sets of patient education materials. RESULTS: The average readability of AUA materials was 8.5 (8th–9th grade reading level). For the top 50 websites, average readability was 11.7 (11–12th grade reading level). A two-tailed t test between the AUA and top 50 websites demonstrated statistical significance between the readability of the two sets of resources (P = 0.0001), with the top search engine results being several grade levels higher than the recommended 6–7th grade reading level. CONCLUSIONS: Most health information provided by the AUA on bladder cancer is written at a reading ability that aligns with most US adults, with top websites for search engine results exceeding the average reading level by several grade levels. By focusing on health literacy, urologists may contribute lowering barriers to health literacy, improving health care expenditure and perioperative complications.

scholarly journals Asian American Older Adults and Social Isolation: A Systematic Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 328-328
Author(s):  
Simona Kwon ◽  
Deborah Min ◽  
Stella Chong
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Asian Americans ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
The United States ◽  
Eligibility Criteria

Abstract Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial and ethnic minority group in the United States, whose population is aging considerably. Previous studies indicate that social isolation and loneliness disproportionately affects older adults and predicts greater physical, mental, and cognitive decline. A systematic literature review using PRISMA guidelines was conducted to address this emerging need to understand the scope of research focused on social isolation and loneliness among the disparity population of older Asian Americans. Four interdisciplinary databases were searched: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and AgeLine; search terms included variations on social isolation, loneliness, Asian Americans, and older adults. Articles were reviewed based on six eligibility criteria: (1) research topic relevance, (2) study participants aged &gt;60 years, (3) Asian immigrants as main participants, (4) conducted in the United States, (5) published between 1995-2019, and (6) printed in the English language. The search yielded 799 articles across the four databases and 61 duplicate articles were removed. Abstracts were screened for the 738 remaining studies, 107 of which underwent full-text review. A total of 56 articles met the eligibility criteria. Synthesis of our review indicates that existing research focuses heavily on Chinese and Korean American immigrant communities, despite the heterogeneity of the diverse Asian American population. Studies were largely observational and employed community-based sampling. Critical literature gaps exist surrounding social isolation and loneliness in Asian American older adults, including the lack of studies on South Asian populations. Future studies should prioritize health promotion intervention research and focus on diverse understudied Asian subgroups.

Social Service Politics in the United States and Britain

1982 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 698
Author(s):  
William D. Muller ◽  
Willard C. Richan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Service ◽  
The United States

scholarly journals Assessing undergraduate students' reading process: insights from questionnaire and reading task data

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 723-746
Author(s):  
Claudia Finger-Kratochvil ◽  
Rosane Silveira
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Reading Process ◽  
Reading Practices ◽  
Reading Task ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Reading Abilities ◽  
Time Reading

Many institutions have been studying the construction of different aspects of the reading process and the reader (e.g. OECD, INEP), and they have revealed a gap in the process of building reading abilities at all levels of education. The present study focuses on entry-level college students and analyzes data from thirty-three students, collected by means of (a) two questionnaires assessing the participants' views of the reading process, purposes of reading, and their reading practices, and (b) three reading units designed to measure the participants' reading ability in their native language. The results revealed that a large number of students spend little time reading, although they report that reading is a rewarding activity. Moreover, for most of them, reading is a bottom-up process, and the consequences of this view can be observed in their performance on the reading tasks.

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