A Study Determining the Health Literacy Levels of Young Adults During COVID-19

2022 ◽  
pp. 253-275
Author(s):  
Sebnem Ceylan Apaydın ◽  
Cengiz Apaydın
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Communication Tools ◽  
Related Information ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
The University

COVID-19 caused a massive quarantine around the world and also raised the need for individuals to obtain accurate information about their health. Health-related information that exists on the internet can be similar to misinformation, and this can confuse people and create fear and anxiety. Health literacy, defined as motivation with cognitive and social skills to obtain accurate information about health, understand and use the information to protect the health of individuals, is important in this context, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic period has demonstrated the importance of the ability to use digital communication tools. In this study, a survey was undertaken using field research methodology. The sample was a group of 407 people studying at Sakarya University, Selcuk University, and Konya Technical University. As a result of the research, it was determined that the general health literacy of the young adult group studying in the field of social sciences at the university was of a sufficient standard.

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 International survey for assessing COVID-19’s impact on fear and health: study protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e048720
Author(s):  
Kris Yuet-Wan Lok ◽  
Daniel Yee Tak Fong ◽  
Janet Y.H. Wong ◽  
Mandy Ho ◽  
Edmond PH Choi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
International Study ◽  
Ethics Committees ◽  
Well Being ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Health Study ◽  
The World ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Health Related

IntroductionCOVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2, has been one of the most highly contagious and rapidly spreading virus outbreak. The pandemic not only has catastrophic impacts on physical health and economy around the world, but also the psychological well-being of individuals, communities and society. The psychological and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic internationally have not been well described. There is a lack of international study assessing health-related impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on the degree to which individuals are fearful of the pandemic. Therefore, this study aims to (1) assess the health-related impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in community-dwelling individuals around the world; (2) determine the extent various communities are fearful of COVID-19 and (3) identify perceived needs of the population to prepare for potential future pandemics.Methods and analysisThis global study involves 30 countries. For each country, we target at least 500 subjects aged 18 years or above. The questionnaires will be available online and in local languages. The questionnaires include assessment of the health impacts of COVID-19, perceived importance of future preparation for the pandemic, fear, lifestyles, sociodemographics, COVID-19-related knowledge, e-health literacy, out-of-control scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4. Descriptive statistics will be used to describe participants’ characteristics, perceptions on the health-related impacts of COVID-19, fear, anxiety and depression, lifestyles, COVID-19 knowledge, e-health literacy and other measures. Univariable and multivariable regression models will be used to assess the associations of covariates on the outcomes.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been reviewed and approved by the local ethics committees in participating countries, where local ethics approval is needed. The results will be actively disseminated. This study aims to map an international perspective and comparison for future preparation in a pandemic.

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.

SimBody

2012 ◽  
pp. 265-282
Author(s):  
Bruno Vidal ◽  
João Madeiras Pereira ◽  
Guilherme Santos
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Multimedia Software ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Master Thesis ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Related ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Progression Of Atherosclerosis

Many of the top causes of death in the world are directly related to risk factors that can be avoided with changes in lifestyle behaviors. Computers with Internet access are widely available, and their multimedia capabilities show great potential for e-learning. Furthermore, most of the frequent Internet users already look for health related information online. This chapter presents an interactive simulator that educates people on how to mitigate the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The application is named SimBody and was initially developed in the context of a Master Thesis at Technical University of Lisbon (IST), in collaboration with ZPX, a multimedia software development company. SimBody allows the users to control the behaviors of an avatar. Besides showing the contribution of each decision towards the risk of cardiovascular diseases, it offers contextualized lifestyle advices and depicts the progression of atherosclerosis. After knowledge transmission tests, the majority of the participants stated that after using SimBody they are more aware of the dangers and intend to introduce changes to their lifestyle.

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.

Case Study on Patient Groups on Facebook in Turkey

2020 ◽  
pp. 197-223
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.

Health Literacy for Collegiate Dancers: Provision and Perceptions of Health-Related Education in University Dance Programs

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 118-125
Author(s):  
Andrea Kozai ◽  
Jatin P. Ambegaonkar
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Strength And Conditioning ◽  
Injury Rates ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Faculty And Administrators ◽  
Dance Medicine

Dancers have unique health issues, including high injury rates and functional, nutritional, and psychological concerns. Thererfore, developing dancers with high health literacy is crucial. This study examines 1. the types of health-related information offered in university dance programs, and 2. the perceptions of dance stakeholders (administrators, faculty, and students) toward health-related education provided to dancers in these programs. Participating stakeholders (N = 104) from 11 countries completed a web-based survey examining health-related offerings for dance students at their instituitions. Eighty-four participants (81%) indicated that health-related information was delivered at their instituition. The most commonly offered topics included functional dance anatomy (N = 82, 98%), recognizing dance injuries and illnesses (N = 66, 79%), and strength and conditioning for dancers (N = 61, 73%). Participants rated recognizing dance injuries and illnesses (N = 72, 69%), basic personal health (N = 70, 67%), and nutrition (N = 68, 65%) as the top three "extremely important" topics, even if these were not offered at their institution. Faculty and administrators reported similar attitudes toward topic importance as those reported by students. Fifty-five respondents (65%) reported textbooks were used to deliver health-related information, and content was also provided via journal articles (N = 58, 69%), organizational web sites (N = 39, 46%), and social media (N = 16, 19%). Reported barriers to providing adequate education included lack of dance faculty expertise to deliver course content (N = 7) and receiving care from practitioners lacking in knowledge of dance medicine (N = 5). Participants generally agreed that making health-related information available was important, and 81% of respondants indicated that it was formally offered at their institution. Variability was noted regarding topics rated "highly important," as compared to which topics were already provided. These findings offer insight into the current status of health-related education provided to dance students and can be used to improve curricula in university dance programs.

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