Better Health Communication During the Life Cycle Contributes to Better Health Literacy

2022 ◽  
pp. 143-166
Author(s):  
Diogo Franco Santos ◽  
Rita Branco Silva ◽  
Joana Lapa Gomes
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Information Leaflets ◽  
Transmission Of Information ◽  
Structural Aspects

Health literacy (HL) is about acquiring competences, confidence, and motivation to take action in health improvement. Health communication is key in promoting HL. Information leaflets are a tool that grants autonomy, thereby empowering self-management of health. Qualitative and content analysis of two original leaflets was made by a group of medical doctors, targeting pregnant women and the elderly, who represent different stages of the life cycle. The content was written in an assertive, clear, and positive language, and was adjusted to the target public. A question-answer system was used, making it easier for the reader to gather specific information. Structural aspects underlying both leaflets were similar. Health leaflets are widely used for the proper transmission of information. It is therefore essential that they are appropriate to the recipients' HL throughout the life cycle. The critical and systematised analysis of their information content contributes to quality assurance, leading to better HL and healthcare in general.

Lay perceptions about mental health: where is age and where is Alzheimer's disease?

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perla Werner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Lay Perceptions ◽  
Geriatric Mental Health

Studies on laypersons' beliefs and knowledge about mental disorders have proliferated in recent years. However, attention has been focused mainly on depression and schizophrenia and on young adults. The aim of this paper is to summarize research in the area, and to discuss the need to expand research in the elderly population. The unique characteristics of older persons in terms of the prevalence and type of mental disorders, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias, as well as in terms of their being victims of “double jeopardy” require special attention and research. The present review has three main objectives. First, it summarizes the findings of studies examining different aspects of mental health literacy. Second, the importance of age in the study of mental health literacy is discussed. Third, findings of the few studies examining laypersons' beliefs in the area of AD are presented. Finally, research directions are suggested with special emphasis on the importance of geriatric mental health and mental health literacy.

Information and psychological security in the development of computer literacy in the elderly

2021 ◽  
pp. 270-278
Author(s):  
Tatyana Borisovna Berestok
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Computer Literacy ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Information Environment ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Negative Factors

This article deals with the issue of self-preservation of elderly people when learning to work on a computer from the point of view of information and psychological security. The necessity of solving new socio-psychological problems is indicated: to develop the ability to give a correct assessment of a specific information threat, to prevent the negative impact of the information environment, to resist negative factors, and to contribute to improving the quality of life. The purpose of counseling elderly people is to develop their ability to understand the problem of the negative impact of the information environment on psychological and physiological health, to be able to apply methods to ensure information and psychological security. Consulting and educational work with the elderly and employees of social institutions engaged in professional activities directly related to the above category should be aimed at preventing cases of fraudulent activities. Consulting work with them should not only meet the general principles of building psychological contact, but also cause an understanding of the importance of compliance with security in the digital sphere. Elderly people develop the ability to assess correctly a specific information threat and prevent the negative impact of the information environment by providing adequate resistance to negative factors and contributing to improving their quality of life. It is increasingly difficult for older people to navigate threats, unmotivated anxiety increases, depressiveness appears and becomes fixed, and asocial personality traits are formed. At the present time, it is necessary to consider the formation of information and computer literacy as a mechanism to counteract the negative impact of the information environment and a necessary condition for developing an effective strategy for the social adaptation of elderly people.

Effectiveness of the Complete Health Improvement Program in a Geriatric Population

2021 ◽  
pp. 155982762110493
Author(s):  
Emily Scriven ◽  
Bhakti Chavan ◽  
David Drozek
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Lifestyle Modification ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Lipoprotein Cholesterol ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
Geriatric Population ◽  
Complete Health

The Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) is an intensive therapeutic lifestyle modification program (ITLMP) with well-documented success in decreasing risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Plant-based diets and physical activity are components of the program that contribute to these improvements. Yet, there are few studies on how ITLMPs affect risk factors specifically for the geriatric population. The goal of this study was to examine results of CHIP participants with a focus on the older (greater than 65 years) population in Athens, Ohio. Retrospective data from 2011 to 2017 were analyzed for 26 CHIP classes. Recorded variables included body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), blood glucose (BG), and exercise level. Among geriatric participants, significant changes were found in BMI, BP, TC, LDL, HDL, BG, and exercise level ( P < .001). As compared to the younger population, changes in variables were equivalent in the geriatric population in all variables ( P > .05). These improvements in CVD risk factors among the elderly support the hypothesis that CHIP should be considered for CVD prevention and treatment in the geriatric population.

scholarly journals Differential Item Functioning Related to Age in the Reading Subtest of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond L. Ownby ◽  
Drenna Waldrop-Valverde
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Differential Item Functioning ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Functional Health Literacy ◽  
Response Format ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Item Functioning

Differential item functioning (DIF) occurs when items in a measure perform in ways that are different for members of a target group when the different performance is not related to the individual’s overall ability to be assessed. DIF may arise for a number of reasons but is often evaluated in order to ensure that tests and measures are fair evaluations of a group’s abilities. Based on observations when administering the test, we developed the hypothesis that some items on the reading comprehension subtest of the Test of Functional Health Literacy (TOFHLA) might be differentially more difficult for older adults and the elderly due to its use of the cloze response format, in which the participant is required to determine what word, when placed in a blank space in a sentence, will ensure that the sentence is intelligible. Others have suggested that the cloze response format may make demands on verbal fluency, an ability that is reduced with the increasing age. Our analyses show that age-related DIF may present in a nearly one-half of reading comprehension items of the TOFHLA. Results of this measure in older persons should be interpreted cautiously.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Health Literacy Based Educational Intervention on Nutritional Outcomes of Elderly

Salmand ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 324-337
Author(s):  
Amin Mirzaei ◽  
◽  
Ali Ramezankhani ◽  
Parisa Taheri Tanjani ◽  
Mohtasham Ghaffari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Educational Intervention ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Adequate Health Literacy ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Elderly Nutrition ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Inadequate Health Literacy

Objectives: Health literacy is one of the most important social determinants of elderly health. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the educational intervention on knowledge, attitude, and nutritional behaviors of the elderly with adequate health literacy and inadequate health literacy. Methods & Materials: An experimental study was conducted with 192 people 60 years and older in Ilam Province, Iran, from May to September 2016. The elderly were assigned into four groups (48 subjects in each group), including two intervention groups with adequate and inadequate health literacy and two control groups with sufficient and insufficient health literacy. The elderly nutrition education program consisted of four lecture sessions with questions and answers, along with an elderly nutrition manual for the intervention group. The level of health literacy among the elderly was assessed using functional health literacy in adults. The level of knowledge, attitude, and nutritional behaviors was assessed using a researcher-made questionnaire in two stages before and two months after the educational intervention. The SPSS V. 21 was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics and the Chi-square, paired t test, and Fisher exact test were used for data analysis. Results: The Mean±SD age of the men was 61.24±2.38 years, and the mean±SD age of women was 61.35±2.45 years. The majority of men with adequate health literacy were men (84.37%), while the proportion of men and women in those with inadequate health literacy was almost the same. All participants with adequate health literacy and 89.58% of those with inadequate health literacy were married. After the educational intervention, the mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and behavior in the intervention group with adequate health literacy increased significantly (P≤0.013, P≤0.015, and P<0.001, respectively). In the intervention group with inadequate health literacy, only the knowledge mean score after the intervention showed a significant increase (P≤0.035). However, there was no significant change in the mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and behavior in both control groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: According to the study Results, the effectiveness of the educational intervention in relation to nutrition of the elderly is significantly influenced by the level of health literacy.

scholarly journals Measuring Models

2009 ◽  
pp. 147-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Monperrus ◽  
Jean-Marc Jézéquel ◽  
Joël Champeau ◽  
Brigitte Hoeltzener
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Model Driven Engineering ◽  
Text Documents ◽  
Model Driven ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Wide Range

Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) is an approach to software development that uses models as primary artifacts, from which code, documentation and tests are derived. One way of assessing quality assurance in a given domain is to define domain metrics. We show that some of these metrics are supported by models. As text documents, models can be considered from a syntactic point of view i.e., thought of as graphs. We can readily apply graph-based metrics to them, such as the number of nodes, the number of edges or the fan-in/fan-out distributions. However, these metrics cannot leverage the semantic structuring enforced by each specific metamodel to give domain specific information. Contrary to graph-based metrics, more specific metrics do exist for given domains (such as LOC for programs), but they lack genericity. Our contribution is to propose one metric, called s, that is generic over metamodels and allows the easy specification of an open-ended wide range of model metrics.

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