Adequate Literacy Levels Research Articles

Health literacy among pregnant women in the United Arab Emirates: The Mutaba'ah study.

Health literacy is the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, understand, and communicate health-related information. Health literacy among pregnant women, in particular, may have a significant impact on maternal and child health. In the United Arab Emirates, no previous studies have been carried out to investigate the health literacy levels of pregnant women. This study aimed to investigate antenatal health literacy levels and identify associated factors among pregnant Emirati women in the United Arab Emirates. This analysis was based on the baseline cross-sectional data for pregnant women participating in the prospective cohort Mutaba'ah Study, recruited between May 2017 and August 2022. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire during their antenatal visits that collected sociodemographic and pregnancy-related information. Adequacy of health literacy was assessed using the BRIEF health literacy screening tool with adequate health literacy defined as a score ⩾ 17. Regression modeling investigated the association between the pregnant women characteristics with having adequate health literacy level (ability to read and comprehend most patient education materials). A total of 2694 responses to the BRIEF health literacy screening tool were analyzed. Approximately, three-quarters (71.6%) of respondents showed adequate health literacy, followed by marginal (22.8%), and limited (5.6%) health literacy levels, respectively. Higher education levels (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.74, 95% confidence interval = 1.46-2.08), employment (adjusted odds ratio = 1.35, 95% confidence interval = 1.10-1.65), and adequate social support (adjusted odds ratio = 1.69, 95% confidence interval = 1.26-2.28) were associated with adequate health literacy levels. Participants who expressed worry about birth were less likely to have adequate literacy levels (adjusted odds ratio = 0.70, 95% confidence interval = 0.58-0.85). Nearly three-quarters of pregnant women have adequate health literacy. Nevertheless, measures including policies to sustain and enhance health literacy levels among all expectant mothers are required, with a specific focus on those having limited health literacy.

Aiding Reflective Navigation in a Dynamic Information Landscape: A Challenge for Educational Psychology

Open access to information is now a universal phenomenon thanks to rapid technological developments across the globe. This open and universal access to information is a key value of democratic societies because, in principle, it supports well-informed decision-making on individual, local, and global matters. In practice, however, without appropriate readiness for navigation in a dynamic information landscape, such access to information can become a threat to public health, safety, and economy, as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown. In the past, this readiness was often conceptualized in terms of adequate literacy levels, but the contemporarily observed highest-ever literacy levels have not immunized our societies against the risks of misinformation. Therefore, in this Perspective, we argue that democratization of access to information endows citizens with new responsibilities, and second, these responsibilities demand readiness that cannot be reduced to mere literacy levels. In fact, this readiness builds on individual adequate literacy skills, but also requires rational thinking and awareness of own information processing. We gather evidence from developmental, educational, and cognitive psychology to show how these aspects of readiness could be improved through education interventions, and how they may be related to healthy work-home balance and self-efficacy. All these components of education are critical to responsible global citizenship and will determine the future direction of our societies.

Factors associated with mammography screening among Reunionese women : a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveTo explore the factors associated with the uptake of mammography screening in Reunionese women aged 50-65 years. MethodsThis study included all women aged 50 to 65 years participating in a population-based cross-sectional study "FOSFORE". Participants were recruited between March and June 2017 using two sampling frames. The first frame consisted of households with a landline telephone, with or without a mobile line, by first randomly generating a telephone number and then randomly selecting an individual from among all eligible women in the household. The second sampling frame was constituted of women with an exclusive mobile line, who were selected directly if they met the eligibility criteria. Data were weighted for age and socio-professional status to ensure representativeness at the Reunion Island level. Weighted logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios while adjusting for confounders. Results417 women were included in the study; 63.8% were up to date with guidelines on mammography screening and 36.2% were not up to date. Four factors were significantly associated with mammography screening, with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.92 (95% CI 1.51–5.61) for not having an Active Solidarity Income, 1.98 (95% CI 1.22–3.23) for having a regular gynecological follow-up by a physician, 6.53 (95% CI 3.23–13.21) for performing a Pap smear test in the past two years, and 2.07 (95% CI 1.21–3.52) for having an adequate literacy level (HLQ3). ConclusionThe findings of this study suggest that higher socio-economic status is an indicator of participation in mammography screening in La Réunion, and future educational and intervention programs should target women in deprived areas.

Online health information seeking and health literacy among non-medical college students: gender differences

The aim of this paper was to investigate online health information seeking and health literacy among non-medical college students in Egypt and the differences between the two genders. A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to collect data from 600 students through a self-administered questionnaire. Most of the students searched for health information on the internet (82.3%). 90.3% of them used their mobile phones and 97.8% sought data via Google. Skin and hair problems was the most searched for topic (83.3%), followed by reproductive health (79.7%). Students perceived that rapid and easy access to information were the main advantages of health information seeking online (98.5% and 95.5%, respectively), while the lack of reliability and scarcity of information in the Arabic language were the main disadvantages (78.2% and 60.5%, respectively). Only 31.2% of the sample achieved an adequate literacy level. Females in our sample had a higher frequency of online health information seeking and a higher level of health literacy. They also had a higher percentage of searching for health data on YouTube and seeking nutrition information. On the other hand, males used online health applications more frequently and were more interested in physical fitness and smoking. Females perceived the high cost as the main disadvantage of online health information seeking, while males were more concerned about the reliability of information. Health literacy was positively related to female gender and frequency of online health information seeking. Using the internet to deliver health information according to each gender’s preferences and concerns can encourage students to search for health information online and, therefore, raise their health literacy level.

Influence of Health Literacy on Medication Adherence Among Elderly Females With Type 2 Diabetes in Pakistan.

Health literacy is how well the patients are able to attain, deal with, and understand basic health information. This is particularly important when it comes to comprehending prescribed medication instructions. To improve the communication strategies for health-care professionals during patient counseling, our study aimed to assess the influence of health literacy and medication adherence in older patients. The objectives of the study were to evaluate associations that occur between the level of health literacy and medication adherence. This study used a convenience sampling method of females (older than 60 years) attending the diabetic clinic in two hospital settings (N = 524). All study participants filled three validated questionnaires: these were the Literacy Assessment for Diabetes, the Diabetes Numeracy Test, and a modified Brief Adherence Rating Scale. To assess the spectrum of health literacy differences, we used χ2 analysis and linear regression analysis. Individuals with adequate health literacy were more likely to remember to take their medications compared with those with inadequate health literacy, χ2(4) = 11.6, p = .04. Adequate literacy level study participants were more likely to not change the dose of their medications without medical advice (12.3%) compared with those individuals with inadequate health literacy (2.8%), χ2(4) = 11.13, p = .03. The results in our study suggest that health-care professionals should focus on appropriate communication attuned to the assessment of health literacy levels particularly in older female patients when discussing medication instructions.

The association of health literacy with illness perceptions, medication beliefs, and medication adherence among individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Beliefs in medications and illness perceptions is associated with medication adherence among individuals with diabetes and several adherence interventions focus on patients' beliefs in medicines and illnesses. Though health literacy is important in medication adherence, the relationship between health literacy and medication adherence remains inconclusive; thus raising the question as to whether health literacy has an amplifying or reducing effect on the relationship between beliefs and adherence. The study examined (1) the association between health literacy, beliefs in medicines, illness perceptions, and medication adherence in individuals with type 2 diabetes and (2) the moderating effects of health literacy (including numeracy and document literacy) on the relationship between illness perceptions, beliefs in medicines, and medication adherence. Adults ≥20 years taking oral diabetes medicines at two family medicine clinics, completed a cross-sectional survey. Participants were assessed on beliefs in medicines, illness perceptions, health literacy, self-efficacy, and medication adherence. Multiple linear regressions examined the effect of health literacy, beliefs and self-efficacy, and the moderator effect of health literacy in the relationship between beliefs and adherence. Of the 174 participants, more than half were women (57.5%) and white (67.8%). There was a significant positive association between self-efficacy and adherence (β = 0.486, p < .001), and a negative association between threatening illness perceptions and adherence (β = -0.292, p < .001). Health literacy had a significant moderator effect on the relationship between adherence and concerns beliefs (β = -0.156, p = .014) and threatening illness perceptions (β = 0.196, p = .002). The concern beliefs - adherence association was only significant at marginal and adequate literacy levels. When health literacy was separated into numeracy and document literacy, only numeracy moderated the illness perceptions - adherence relationship (β = 0.149, p = .038). Health literacy, especially numeracy, needs to be initially addressed before diabetes adherence interventions that address individual concerns about medicines and threatening illness perceptions can work.

Comprehension of the education handout and health literacy of pacemaker users.

To verify the comprehension of the education handout and the level of Functional Health Literacy of individuals with cardiac pacemaker (PM) and whether there is correlation between the comprehension and Functional Health Literacy (FHL). Cross-sectional study with 63 individuals with PM who answered to comprehension tests of the handout, literacy assessment (SAHLPA-50) and cognition (MMSE). Measurements of dispersion, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were calculated. Most women, study time ≤ 9 years, 66.21 (average age) presented no cognitive changes. An adequate literacy level was evidenced in 50.8% individuals with PM and satisfactory comprehension of the handout. No correlation was identified between FHL, handout comprehension, age, years of study and cognition. The handout comprehension assessed by individuals with appropriate FHL indicated that it can be a printed material suitable for use, aiming to improve care process and knowledge of individuals with PM.

Lessons learned while developing, adapting and implementing a pilot parent-mediated behavioural intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder in rural Bangladesh.

Low- and middle-income countries often have limited resources, underdeveloped health systems and scarce knowledge of autism spectrum disorder. The objectives of this preliminary study were to develop and adapt intervention materials and to train a native clinician to implement a community-based parent-mediated behavioural intervention in rural Gaibandha, Bangladesh. Intervention materials to support parents' use of behavioural strategies were developed and refined by US behavioural intervention experts and Bangladesh field experts. Study investigators trained a native child psychologist in developmental milestones and behavioural intervention techniques. The native clinician delivered a 1-day group education session attended by 10 families of children aged 7-9 years with autism spectrum disorder, followed by two one-on-one training sessions with each family to train and practice individualized strategies for targeted challenging behaviours. Preliminary qualitative results indicate the importance of materials that are culturally appropriate and at an adequate literacy level. All families expressed strong desires to have learned the behavioural strategies when their child was younger and vocalized their need for further support and tools to help their children. This study is a preliminary step to creating sustainable and low-cost autism spectrum disorder interventions in rural Bangladesh, and possibly for families in regions with similar cultural and socioeconomic status backgrounds.

Short, Subjective Measures of Numeracy and General Health Literacy in an Adult Emergency Department

The objective was to evaluate the reliability and validity of brief subjective measures of numeracy and general health literacy in the adult emergency department (ED) setting. A convenience sample of adult ED patients completed subjective measures of general health literacy (Short Literacy Survey [SLS]) and numeracy (Subjective Numeracy Scale [SNS]). These patients also completed two objective tests of literacy (the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults [S-TOFHLA] and the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine [REALM]) and an objective test of numeracy (Wide Range Achievement Test-4 [WRAT4]). Internal reliability of the subjective measures was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity of the subjective measures was assessed by correlating them against the S-TOFHLA, REALM, and WRAT4, using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves, and hierarchical, multiple linear regression with adjustment for patient age, sex, race, and education. The median age of the 207 patients surveyed was 46 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 32 to 59 years); 27% were African American. Sixty-one percent of patients reported that their highest level of education was high school or below. As measured by the S-TOFHLA and REALM, most patients had adequate literacy levels (89% and 80%, respectively), while 44% of patients had below average numeracy skills on the WRAT4. The median SLS score was 14 (IQR = 12 to 15) on a scale of 3 to 15; the median SNS score was 36 (IQR = 30 to 42) on a scale of 6 to 48. The SLS and SNS had good internal reliability, with Cronbach's alphas of 0.74 and 0.82, respectively. The SLS Spearman's rank order correlation coefficient was 0.33 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.20 to 0.45) for the S-TOFHLA, with a standardized beta coefficient of 0.36 (p < 0.05) after adjustment for patient demographics. The SLS correlation coefficient was 0.26 (95% CI = 0.13 to 0.38) for the REALM, with a standardized beta coefficient of 0.38 (p < 0.05) after adjustment for patient demographics. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the SLS was 0.74 (95% CI = 0.68 to 0.80) when compared to the S-TOFHLA and 0.72 (95% CI = 0.65 to 0.78) when compared to the REALM. The SNS predicted numeracy well, with a correlation coefficient of 0.57 (95% CI = 0.47 to 0.65) for the WRAT4, a standardized beta coefficient of 0.30 (p < 0.05) after adjustment for patient demographics, and an AUC of 0.77 (95% CI = 0.70 to 0.82). The SNS and SLS are reliable, valid tests that can be used to rapidly estimate general health literacy and numeracy skill levels in adult ED patients. Continuing work is needed to establish their ability to predict clinical outcomes.

Relationship of functional health literacy to patients' knowledge of their chronic disease. A study of patients with hypertension and diabetes.

Inadequate functional health literacy is common, but its impact on patients with chronic diseases is not well described. To examine among patients with hypertension or diabetes the relationship between their functional health literacy level and their knowledge of their chronic disease and treatment. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of patients with hypertension and diabetes presenting to the general medicine clinics at 2 urban public hospitals. Literacy was measured by the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Knowledge of their illness was assessed in patients with diabetes or hypertension using 21 hypertension and 10 diabetes questions based on key elements in educational materials used in our clinics. A total of 402 patients with hypertension and 114 patients with diabetes were enrolled. Mean (+/- SD) knowledge scores for patients with hypertension with inadequate (n = 189), marginal (n = 49), or adequate (n = 155) literacy were 13.2 +/- 3.1, 15.3 +/- 2.2, and 16.5 +/- 2.3, respectively (range, 4-20; P < .001). A total of 92% of patients with hypertension and adequate literacy levels knew that a blood pressure reading of 160/100 mm Hg was high compared with 55% of those in the lowest reading level (P < .001). Mean (+/- SD) knowledge scores for patients with diabetes with inadequate (n = 50), marginal (n = 13), or adequate (n = 51) literacy were 5.8 +/- 2.1, 6.8 +/- 1.9, and 8.1 +/- 1.6, respectively (range, 1-10; P < .001). A total of 94% of patients with diabetes and adequate functional health literacy knew the symptoms of hypoglycemia compared with 50% of those with inadequate literacy (P < .001). Inadequate functional health literacy poses a major barrier to educating patients with chronic diseases, and current efforts to overcome this appear unsuccessful.