Do We Know Health? English 102i Mike Allan
What is Health Literacy? Obtain, process, and understand About 90 million Americans do not meet standard Reading labels is major issue Consequences affect personal health
Why Is It Important? Abilities: Navigate the healthcare system Share personal and health information with providers Engage in self-care and disease management Adopt health-promoting behaviors Act on health-related news Impact: Health outcomes Healthcare costs Quality of care
Through what medium can we communicate health literacy to the general public?
Community Significance Majority study natural sciences Persona of university Debate-oriented culture on campus Learning outside the classroom Political implications
Addition to the Discussion Research plan: Contrast with select group of population with higher education Evaluate effectiveness of certain sources Make conclusions about how information can be communicated
Methods Quiz and gauge of interest Professional businessmen Survey: 14 knowledge-based questions 1 question gauging willingness to learn from sources Via Personal info: Age and gender Political affiliation Level of education Health care provider
# of Answers Correct
Subjects’ Sources
Willingness for Sources
Interpretation Higher proficiency level than average Each political party showed equal scores No apparent strong ties to any party Signs of political bias in TV shows Some questions beyond undergraduate level WebMD and Daily Show most popular
Where We Go From Here Lectures must be given by people trusted Health workers, not politicians Media grabs the most attention Promote credible websites, i.e. WebMD Public service announcements Reach the families Direct source of information
Discrepancies Lack of a control Ability to research answers Unequal representation of gender and political parties Limit of options
Works Cited Parikh NS, et al. “Shame and Health Literacy: The Unspoken Connection.” Patient Education and Counseling, 1996; 27. ↑ (Parikh 1996) ↑ Hopper KD, et al. “The Readability of Currently Used Surgical/Procedure Consent Forms in the United States.” Surgery, 1998; 123. ↑ (Hopper 1998) ↑ Williams-Deane M and Potter LS. “Current Oral Contraceptive Use Instructions: An Analysis of Patient Package Inserts.” Family Planning Perspectives, 1992; 24. ↑ (Williams-Deane 1992) ↑ Baker DW, et al. “The Relationship of Patient Reading Ability to Self-Reported Health and Use of Health Services.” American Journal of Public Health, 1997; 87. ↑ (Baker 1997) ↑ Williams MV, et al. “Inadequate Functional Health Literacy among Patients at Two Public Hospitals.” Journal of the American Medical Association, 1995; 274. ↑ (Williams 1995) ↑ Williams MV, et al. “Inadequate Literacy is a Barrier to Asthma Knowledge and Self-Care.” Chest, 1998; 114. ↑ (Williams 1998) ↑