Health Literacy

Control Your Destiny

#healthlit

About Your Presenter

Today’s Lesson

• What is health literacy?• The 3 critical components of

health literacy… – Obtain – Process – Understand

• Healthcare: 3 questions• How to apply health

literacy and gain its benefits

What Is Health Literacy?

• Health literacy is "the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.”

• Source: Institute of Medicine Report -- Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion

gymgym BMIBMI

supplementssupplements Paleo DietPaleo Diet

nutritionnutrition

fitness

happinesshappiness

Low CarbsLow Carbs

pyramidpyramid

youthyouth

MyPlateMyPlate

shakesshakes

electrolyteselectrolytes

Don’t smokeDon’t smoke

herbsherbs

Drink waterDrink water

naturalnatural

portionsportions

Healthy weightHealthy weight

weightsweights

Fruits and veggiesFruits and veggies

proteinprotein

Google search for the word healthy brings 577,000,000 results…

Obtain the Facts

• Find credible sources.

• Distinguish actual scientific facts from unfounded opinions.

Poll: Where Do You Obtain Your Health Information?

• Family• Friends• TV show• Facebook• Magazine/Newspaper• Google/Internet• Vitamin store• News channels

Obtain: Conflict of Interest?• Health food store – It is very important that you buy our vitamins,

even though the claims aren’t always verified, nor are they regulated.

• Tobacco Institute – Smoking is okay.

Tobacco Institute: Smoking Is Okay

Obtain: Credible Experts

• Medical:– Physicians, physicians’ assistants– Nurses– Pharmacists (think: prescriptions)– Public health websites: cdc.gov, health.gov, nhlbi.nih.gov

• Nutrition:– Registered dietitian– Diabetes educators– Public health websites: dietaryguidelines.gov,

choosemyplate.gov, cdc.gov, health.gov, nhlbi.nih.gov,

Obtain Best Evidence

• Scientific studies:– Published in peer-reviewed journals.– Repeatable results.

• The best advice is evidence-based.

Process for Public Policy

Obtain Peer-Reviewed Evidence• Journal of the American Medical Association• New England Journal of Medicine• Lancet• Journal of the American Dietetic Association• Canadian Journal of Cardiology• Nutrition Review• Surgeon Clinical North America• Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis Vascular Biology• Circulation• Journal of Applied Physiology• Science

YOU DON’T HAVE TO READ ALL OF THAT

There is a committee of experts who reads these for you every 5 years

Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The Dietary Guidelines CommitteeChair:

Barbara Millen, DrPH, RD, Millennium Prevention

Vice- Chair:

Alice Lichtenstein, DSc, Tufts University

Members:

Steven Abrams, MD, Baylor College of MedicineLucile Adams-Campbell, PhD, Georgetown University Medical CenterCheryl Anderson, PhD, MPH, University of California, San DiegoJ Thomas Brenna, PhD, Cornell UniversityWayne Campbell, PhD, Purdue UniversitySteven Clinton, MD, PhD, The Ohio State UniversityGary Foster, PhD, Temple UniversityFrank Hu, MD, PhD, MPH, Harvard School of Public HealthMiriam Nelson, PhD, Tufts UniversityMarian Neuhouser, PhD, RD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research CenterRafael Perez-Escamilla, PhD, Yale UniversityAnna Maria Siega-Riz, PhD, RD, The University of North Carolina, Chapel HillMary Story, PhD, RD, University of Minnesota

Chair:

Barbara Millen, DrPH, RD, Millennium Prevention

Vice- Chair:

Alice Lichtenstein, DSc, Tufts University

Members:

Steven Abrams, MD, Baylor College of MedicineLucile Adams-Campbell, PhD, Georgetown University Medical CenterCheryl Anderson, PhD, MPH, University of California, San DiegoJ Thomas Brenna, PhD, Cornell UniversityWayne Campbell, PhD, Purdue UniversitySteven Clinton, MD, PhD, The Ohio State UniversityGary Foster, PhD, Temple UniversityFrank Hu, MD, PhD, MPH, Harvard School of Public HealthMiriam Nelson, PhD, Tufts UniversityMarian Neuhouser, PhD, RD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research CenterRafael Perez-Escamilla, PhD, Yale UniversityAnna Maria Siega-Riz, PhD, RD, The University of North Carolina, Chapel HillMary Story, PhD, RD, University of Minnesota

Best Sources for Consumers

• www.dietaryguidelines.gov• www.nhlbi.nih.gov• www.choosemyplate.gov• www.cdc.gov• www.eatright.org• www.health.gov• www.who.intl

• www.dietaryguidelines.gov• www.nhlbi.nih.gov• www.choosemyplate.gov• www.cdc.gov• www.eatright.org• www.health.gov• www.who.intl

Avoid• Non-credentialed opinions • Conspiracy theories that conflict with established

evidence.• Resources from companies that stand to make a

profit if your follow their recommendations (Tobacco Institute; Institute of Cookies, etc)

• “Belief agenda” versus science and fact• Well-meaning family and friends• TV and media hype• Resources with lots of anecdotes, but few credible

study results

Seek the Truth

• Seek the truth, not a magic bullet.

Obtain: Your Goals

• Prevention: Make good decisions and stay healthy

• Treatment: Successfully navigate the healthcare system and follow all the necessary directions in order to get well

Process

• The more you read and learn,the more you will be able to process information and evaluate what you read.

Process

• To successfully process health information, you must consider change.

• When it comes to change, do you have…

• Ability • Will• Capacity

Process

• You can’t always control your condition.• You can control your participation and

willingness to learn.• You can also control

whether or not you have a support network.

Understand: Make Decisions

• Read as much as you can (remember those credible sources).

• Ask questions when you visit your healthcare team.

• Find professionals that you trust.• Take notes.• Come up with your own action plan.

Ask Me Three!

• What is my main problem?• What do I need to do?• Why is it important for me to do this?

Source: npsf.orgSource: npsf.org

Health Literacy Tasks

• Evaluate information. • Is it good quality? Is it credible?

• Analyze risks and benefits.• Calculate dosages.• Interpret test results.• Locate health information and services.

Health Literacy Skills

• Visually literate • Do you understand graphs?

• Computer literate. • Can you operate a computer?

• Information literate • Can you apply information?

• Numerically literate • Can you calculate?

Benefits of Health Literacy

• People who are health literate are more likely to… • Prevent the flu by getting a flu shot. • Understand medicine labels & instructions. • Have better health.

Benefits of Health Literacy

• People who are health literate are less likely to… • Be hospitalized.

• Have bad disease outcomes. • Spend lots of money on healthcare. • Have increased mortality risks.

Test Your Knowledge:True or False?

• Aunt Sally says she always uses a tincture of vinegar and water to avoid getting a sore throat.

• A popular TV show host says that coconut oil is healthful.

• The Dietary Guidelines for Americans says that saturated fat has been proven to rise cholesterol and it should be limited to less than 10% of your daily calories.

• Your doctor says you should visit every year to get your cholesterol checked.

• A friend says you should try these supplements to lose weight.

• The health food store is running an event to help you avoid gluten.

“Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”

- Mark Twain

Review and Questions

• What is health literacy?• The 3 critical components of

health literacy… – Obtain – Process – Understand

• Healthcare: 3 questions• How to apply health

literacy and gain its benefits