Date post: | 14-Dec-2014 |
Category: |
Education |
Upload: | julie-patterson |
View: | 538 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Low Health Literacy and How to Use the Health Binder
North Bay Literacy Council – Literacy and Health Presentation
Funding for the Literacy & Health Project
This project is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, from the Ministry of Culture
The project provides funding for one year (September 2008-2009)
One person for 2 1/2 days per week
Do you know?
Which of the following is the strongest predictor of an individual’s health status?
A) AgeB) IncomeC) Literacy skillsD) Education level E) Racial or ethnic groupF) Average Beer Intake at Metro
Do you know?
Which of the following is the strongest predictor of an individual’s health status?
A) AgeB) IncomeC) Literacy skillsD) Education level E) Racial or ethnic groupF) Average Beer Intake at Metro
True or False? Most people with limited literacy
have low IQs. People will tell you if they have
trouble reading. The number of years of schooling is
a good general guide to determine literacy level
Most people with low literacy skills are poor, immigrants or minorities.
Goals of the Presentation
Discuss the Literacy & Health Project background
Define Health Literacy Recognize the scope and
implications of health literacy issues. Examine & discuss the Health Binder
Literacy & Health Phase 1
FAS interviewsLight bulb reactionTrillium Foundation grant Interviewed health care
providers and low literacy learners
Findings Few health care providers had an
accurate awareness Learners wanted more time and less
jargon Neither health care providers or
literacy learners knew that the Literacy Council would work with health information
Recommendations Train tutor trainers to include health
literacy in training sessions Develop a trainer workshop Develop health information for low
literacy learners Share resources through the internet
Health Literacy
Health literacy is the degree to which people are able to access, understand, appraise and communicate information to engage with the demands of different health contexts in order to promote and maintain good health across the life-course.
Functional Literacy Compute and solve problems at
levels of proficiency necessary to function in society
Ability to read, write and speak in English
Ability to achieve one’s goals and develop one’s knowledge and potential
Physical Literacy
Sensory
Visual Hearing Neurological
Psychological / Mental Health
Cultural/Language Non-English speaking Immigrant status Ethnic interpretation of illness Spiritual and religious beliefs Majority of the lowest level readers
are white and native born
Computational – Health Numeracy
The degree to which individuals have the capacity to access, process, interpret, communicate, and act on numerical, quantitative, graphical, biostatistical, and probabilistic health information needed to make effective health decisions
Analytical Numeracy
This involves the ability to make sense of information, as well as higher functions like inference, estimation, proprtions, percentages, frequencies, and equivalent situations. Information may be from multiple sources, and an example would be deterimining whether an analytical result was within the normal range, or understanding graphs
Statistical Numeracy
An understanding of basic biostatistics involving probability statements, skills to compare different scales (Probability, proportion, percent), to critically analyse quantitative information like life expectancy or risk, and understanding concepts like randomisation and blinding. An example would be making choices between treatments based on standard outcomes of relative or absolute risk
Scope of the Problem LBS (Literacy Basic Skills)- Level 1 22% of adult Canadians are so limited
that they are unable to determine the correct dosage from reading the medicine label.
LBS (Literacy Basic Skills)- Level 2 A further 26% can read provided that the
materials are simple and presented in a familiar context.
LBS- Level 1 Indicates very low literacy skills where the
individual may, for example have difficulty identifying the correct amount of medicine to give a child from the information found on the package. These individuals are generally aware they have a problem
LBS Level 2 Respondents can deal with material that
is simple, clearly laid out and in which the tasks involved are not too complex. This is significant because it identifies people who may have adapted to everyday life, but would have difficulty learning new health related material and making informed decisions. These individuals often do not recognize their own limitations.
What Happens? Problems with: Navigating from one clinic to
another Completing forms Following medication instructions Interactions with providers Coping strategies in general
What Happens? Limited general knowledge (Health
promotion & prevention) Do not ask for clarification Focus on details, hard to get them to
prioritize Don’t understand Likert scales, math Deal in literal/concrete concepts, not
abstract Essential vocabulary only Check answers without understanding
Why worry?
Not keeping appointments—26% Unable to find clinic/office Failure to take meds correctly—42%
did not understand “empty stomach” Incomplete history Overuse of emergency room Lack of informed consent Diagnosis made at later stages Unhealthy/risky behaviors
The Elderly Fewer years of schooling, poorer—fixed
incomes > 50% do not take meds as directed 68% cannot interpret blood sugar value 76% cannot follow Upper GI instructions 2 billion dollars spent per year on hospital
admission for medication errors
Literacy Tests
Always assume and ask in sensitive way—”How do you like to get your information?” or “What things do you like to read?” or “How satisfied are you with how you read?” Treat all the same.
Hints Use repetition Have the student repeat the
information Use the “teach back” method Never ask “Do you understand?” Use models, sketches, pictures,
symbols demonstrations
More Interventions Know what languages and cultures you
will encounter in your community-know what resources you will need
Check the reading level of materials you give to students
Develop partnerships between the health and literacy sectors
Work with your schools to get health education into the K—12 curriculum
Printed Materials Use pictures, photos, videos and other visuals—
including med charts Monosyllabic and simple language Read over the instructions—highlight important
parts with color Lots of white space Review materials for literacy level—rewrite as
necessary, ask students for help Writing style should be clear, concise, organized,
and jargon-free
Assessing level of literature Most pamphlets at 10-12th grade
level Informed consents at 14.3—16th
grade level Internet health resources at similar
grade levels SMOG
Speaking Plainly Request and respect student’s prior
knowledge, opinion and experience Speaking plainly is as important as writing
plainly Avoid jargon Use everyday examples to explain
technical or medical terms Teach in an organized manner Use the “interactive communication loop”
It is all of these things that have made them what they are and these are the things that you cannot come to know
by hearsay; you can only know them if you have lived them.”
Somerset Maughan, The Razor’s Edge (Introduction), 1944.
To Conclude
“ …follow the counsel of Aristotle, to speak as the common people do, to think as wise men do; and so should every man understand him, and the judgment of wise men follow him.”—
Roger Ascham (1515-1568)