Definition Of Health Literacy Research Articles

Opportunities for Nurses to Increase Parental Health Literacy: A Discussion Paper

Most families can access a range of health information and advice. Information and advice sources often include nurses, the Internet, social media, books, as well as family and friends. While the immediate aim may be to find information, it can also be to assist with parenting skills, solve parenting problems or as part of decision-making processes about their child’s health. These processes are strongly influenced by the parent’s level of health literacy. Health literacy describes a person’s capacity to obtain and utilize health related information. Although there are numerous health literacy definitions all have clearly defined steps. These steps are: obtaining relevant information; then understanding this information; and finally being able to use the information to achieve the expected outcome. Previous research has linked low levels of parental health literacy with poorer child health outcomes. Given this link, increasing health literacy levels would be advantageous for both families and health services. Nurses working with families are in a position to support the family to increase their health literacy through the use of a variety of strategies. This article outlines how health literacy can influence the way parents seek help when they are concerned about child health issues, the relevance of parental health literacy for nurses and suggests some tools that could be used to support the increase of health literacy.

Serving the Needs of the Latina Community for Health Information

Latinos remain the largest US population with limited health literacy (Andrulis D.P. & Brach, 2007). Concerned with how local media can meet the information needs of underserved audiences, we interviewed Latinas who were pregnant or mothers of young children living in a Spanish speaking community, and surveyed 33 local health professionals. Findings are that Latina women’s most common source of health information was family and friends. They said they tune to Spanish television and radio programs, but gave low grades to news media for health information. Medical professionals agreed that Latinas generally get their health information through friends and family, and rated the media poorly in terms of serving Latinas’ needs. Since the data indicate that the local news media are not serving Latinas’ health information needs as much as they could, we offer recommendations to potentially exploit new technological affordances and suggest expansion of conventional definitions of health literacy.

The correlates of chronic disease-related health literacy and its components among men: a systematic review

BackgroundChronic diseases drive the burden of disease in many societies, particularly among men. Lifestyle behaviours are strongly associated with chronic disease development, and in a number of countries men tend to engage in more risky behaviours, and have lower health knowledge and attention to prevention, than women. This study investigated the correlates of men’s health literacy and its components about major lifestyle-related diseases, namely ischaemic heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus, to gain evidence to guide the development of policy and programs to improve men’s health.MethodsA systematic review was undertaken of observational studies that investigated men’s health literacy and its components related to ischaemic heart disease or type 2 diabetes mellitus, and their associated risk factors. The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for articles published since 2003. The strength of the evidence was rated using the GRADE approach.ResultsAfter screening and review of 504 articles, the search elicited nine studies for inclusion: only one study examined health literacy (nutrition literacy). The majority of included studies focused on only one component of health literacy, namely knowledge (n = 7) and personal skills (confidence) (n = 1). Twenty correlates were identified, primarily relating to the knowledge component, with the strength of the evidence for only one correlate, education, graded as being of moderate quality. The evidence for all other correlates was graded as being of low quality.ConclusionsThe limited body of research identified may have resulted from a lack of consensus about the definition of health literacy, and a concordant set of validated health literacy measures. Despite these limitations, broadening the search to include components of health literacy has identified that several factors are associated with men’s knowledge and awareness of ischaemic heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus that will assist in the development of men’s health promotion strategies. However, addressing the broader knowledge gaps and controversy in the health literacy field will deliver policy and program benefits to address these major contributors to the burden of disease among men.

Health Literacy as a Process: Caseworker Perspectives on HIV Health Literacy

Health status and health literacy are interrelated. Previous research suggests that this relationship must be considered when providing services to HIV positive individuals. However, the pathways through which health literacy affects HIV remain unclear. This study seeks to understand the connections between health literacy and HIV from a caseworker perspective. Results suggest that caseworkers reject static definitions of health literacy by conceptualizing it as an emergent process. Caseworkers also expressed the need for development of subcomponents upon which health literacy is founded: (a) the building of trust, and (b) understanding clients' hierarchy of needs.

The concept of Health Literacy and its importance for nursing

Individuals and population's health is influenced by environmental, social economical and cultural aspects which in turn connect individuals to society. In order to decide autonomously, independently and consciously individuals should have several competences. The aim of this study is to identify, analyse and emphasise health literacy concept relevance per se,its relationship with nursing through a narrative revision focused on: Health literacy definition recognition and analysis; evaluation of connection between nursing and health literacy. A narrative review was carried out through PUBMED and CINHAL, using 'health literacy' and nursing related terms, in English or Italian between 2010 and 2015. Results show that 'health literacy' is fully appraised, while attention paid by nurses on the topic is poor due both to a lack of awareness of its relevance on individuals' health and of appraisal. Twenty-height definition emerged from the revision; concepts expressed by scholars are mainly focused on very few individuals' abilities and competences applied to the health context (reading, writing, calculation, comprehension, listening and so on). According to the results it is difficult to define health literacy due to its multidimensional nature. Notwithstanding the above an attempt to develop a unique new definition of health literacy has been carried out although its multidimensional nature and its strong connection to several variables constantly under development. Nevertheless it is imperative that educational modules would be developed and stably integrated in health care education, at the same time a strong effort is due from professional and policy makers to provide population of the necessary tools in order to improve their health.

Advancing Health Literacy Measurement: A Pathway to Better Health and Health System Performance

The concept of health literacy initially emerged and continues to gain strength as an approach to improving health status and the performance of health systems. Numerous studies clearly link low levels of education, literacy, and health literacy with poor health, poor health care utilization, increased barriers to care, and early death. However, theoretical understandings and methods of measuring the complex social construct of health literacy have experienced a continual evolution that remains incomplete. As a result, the seemingly most-cited definition of health literacy proposed in the now-decade-old Institute of Medicine report on health literacy is long overdue for updating. Such an effort should engage a broad and diverse set of health literacy researchers, practitioners, and members of the public in creating a definition that can earn broad consensus through validation testing in a rigorous scientific approach. That effort also could produce the basis for a new universally applicable measure of health literacy. Funders, health systems, and policymakers should reconsider their timid approach to health literacy. Although the field and corresponding evidence base are not perfect, health literacy—especially when combined with a focus on prevention and integrative health—is one of the most promising approaches to advancing public health.

Health literacy: health professionals' understandings and their perceptions of barriers that Indigenous patients encounter.

BackgroundDespite the growing interest in health literacy, little research has been done around health professionals’ knowledge of health literacy or understandings of the barriers to health literacy that patients face when navigating the health care system. Indigenous peoples in New Zealand (NZ), Canada and Australia experience numerous inequalities in health status and outcomes and international evidence reveals that Indigenous, minority, and socio-economically disadvantaged populations have greater literacy needs. To address concerns in Indigenous health literacy, a two-pronged approach inclusive of both education of health professionals, and structural reform reducing demands the system places on Indigenous patients, are important steps towards reducing these inequalities.MethodsFour Indigenous health care services were involved in the study. Interviews and one focus group were employed to explore the experiences of health professionals working with patients who had experienced cardiovascular disease (CVD) and were taking medications to prevent future events. A thematic analysis was completed and these insights were used in the development of an intervention that was tested as phase two of the study.ResultsAnalysis of the data identified ten common themes. This paper concentrates on health professionals’ understanding of health literacy and perceptions of barriers that their patients face when accessing healthcare. Health professionals’ concepts of health literacy varied and were associated with their perceptions of the barriers that their patients face when attempting to build health literacy skills. These concepts ranged from definitions of health literacy that were focussed on patient deficit to broader definitions that focussed on both patients and the health system. All participants identified a combination of cultural, social and systemic barriers as impediments to their Indigenous patients improving their health literacy knowledge and practices.ConclusionsThis study suggests that health professionals have a limited understanding of health literacy and of the consequences of low health literacy for their Indigenous patients. This lack of understanding combined with the perceived barriers to improving health literacy limit health professionals’ ability to improve their Indigenous patients’ health literacy skills and may limit patients’ capacity to improve understanding of their illness and instructions on how to manage their health condition/s.

Preoperative Assessment and Teaching of Postoperative Discharge Instructions: The Importance of Understanding Health Literacy

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS are working to improve patient outcomes and patient safety, as well as develop strategies that we may be able to use to impact both. An increasing number of studies have been conducted linking limited health literacy to poor health. One area of opportunity may be to improve patient and family health literacy. Although different organizations may identify health literacy differently, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) defines health literacy as “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.”1 For the purposes of this column, we will use the IOM definition of health literacy, which emphasizes the obtaining, processing, and understanding of health information.

The Public Health Importance of Improving Health Literacy

The US National Library of Medicine definition of 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.”1 With the expansion of the number of insured in the United States as a result of health reform, several of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions address health literacy.2 There is an enhanced effort in play with the ACA to increase the education of the health workforce dealing with English as a second language and enhanced provider appreciation of health literacy issues.3 The projected number of newly insured provides both an opportunity and an issue that needs addressing – how to ensure the most positive outcomes for many that have never experienced having health insurance. The difficulties that many encounter in navigating the health care system because of health illiteracy have the potential to reach unacceptable degrees of negative consequences. For a significant period, the focus pertaining to health literacy has been on identifying deficits of the general public and/or patients.4 The importance of this focus will not diminish nor should it not be ameliorated. However, with the emerging need to address providers and improving health professional attention on health literacy, Rudd has noted: “If we forge a better match between the expectations and processes of the system and the skills of US adults, we can solve the problem of health literacy and reduce barriers to good health.”4, pp.2284-2285. Those already within a health-insured framework have been shown to suffer negative health outcomes due to health illiteracy. In a well-designed and accomplished study in an integrated health managed care organization in the state of Colorado, low health literacy was found to be significantly associated with higher mortality due to all causes of death.5 This study tracked patients for over a year post discharge and the impact of the health literacy was independently associated with the mortality outcome. The patients in this 2011 study with both health insurance and access to health information points to the breadth of the negative impact of low health literacy even among patients with advantageous health options available.5 Federal efforts aimed at health literacy awareness and impact of the ACA are noble efforts. US Health and Human Services Undersecretary Koh and colleagues6 have noted: “The promises of medical research, health information technology, and advances in health care coverage and delivery can be realized only if our nation addresses the challenge of limited health literacy.”6(p439) However, some federal efforts have fallen short. A recent study examining the readability, suitability, and comprehensibility of medications guides with patients with limited health literacy is instructive of how “one shot fits all” approaches have not and will not be successful in impacting health illiteracy.7 The results of this study examining 185 of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medication guides found that the guides had a mean reading level of the 10th to11th grade.7 The average reading level in the US population is at the 7th grade level.7 Within the study, the understanding of the medication guides was poor, the mean level of correct responses was 52.7%, and marginal literacy was associated with poor understanding.7 The authors concluded that the current FDA medication guides were of little value to patients due to complexity and difficulty of patients’ understanding the content.7 Efforts to enhance proper use of medications and subsequent outcomes have been influenced by health illiteracy. For example, problems with health literacy have proven to be difficult to overcome with medication reconciliation efforts.7 Our efforts within the academy, the profession of pharmacy, and our affiliated health professions need to be enhanced with the training of our future health professionals. The problems accumulating due to health illiteracy will not abate with more receiving insurance and succeeding provision of care. Efforts focusing on training, implementing changes within our curricula, continuing education efforts for current practitioners, and outreach activities with community group and patients and representatives are called for to positively impact this public health concern.

Gesundheitskompetenz - ein Konzept für die professionelle Pflege?

Research results show that health literacy is an important concept in nursing. It has a positive effect on the health of individuals as well as on the costs of the healthcare system. The results of a comprehensive literature search (1980 - March 2009) revealed that the concept of health literacy is being increasingly discussed; however, the concept is barely addressed in literature specific to nursing. The existing definitions of health literacy are formulated predominantly within the medical context. Only one study from the United States analyzed the concept within the context of nursing care. The concept of health literacy is highly relevant because its' aim is to empower the patients, along with their relatives, in dealing with health and disease. In order to thoroughly examine health literacy, it must first be reviewed conceptually within the context of the profession of nursing. This has occurred in this article. The specific terms relevant to health literacy were identified. Moreover, an operational definition for health literacy was developed for the professional nursing setting. Possibilities for nursing practice, due to the conceptualization of health literacy, are discussed.

Validation of the Dutch functional, communicative and critical health literacy scales

ObjectiveWhile most existing health literacy (HL) measures focus primarily on reading comprehension, the functional, communicative and critical HL scales from Ishikawa et al. [19] aim to measure a broader HL spectrum. The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Dutch translation of this instrument. MethodsTwo survey studies (n=79 and n=209) and one cognitive interview study (n=18) were performed among samples of breast cancer patients and patients with rheumatic diseases. ResultsAnalyses showed the scales measured three distinct factors and convergent validity was satisfactory for communicative and critical HL. Nevertheless, the comprehension of the items and the suitability of the response options raised some problems. ConclusionThe HL scales seem promising to measure a broad definition of HL. By revising some of the items and response options as proposed in this article, the scale will become more understandable for people with low HL skills, which might increase the content validity and the distributional properties of the scale. Practice implicationsThe scale should be revised and revalidated. An improved version should be used in practice to gain insight into HL levels of patients. This will help to develop suitable education programs for people with low HL skills.

How Physical Therapists Can Strategically Effect Health Outcomes for Older Adults With Limited Health Literacy

Patient education is the physical therapist's key in guiding patients to a healthier future. When considering patient education, it is important to note that barriers such as limited health literacy can alter the effectiveness of teaching strategies. Health literacy is the ability to comprehend health information and use that information to make informed decisions about one's health and medical care, thus giving individuals the knowledge and skills to optimally function and navigate in the health care environment. While millions of Americans have marginalized literacy skills, older adults aged 65 years and older represent the largest group with compromised general literacy skills in the United States, which significantly contribute to limited health literacy skills. Limited health literacy can have negative consequences on health outcomes due to a lack of knowledge of healthy lifestyle choices, preventative services, disease etiology and management, being able to locate and access appropriate health care services, and carrying out self-care tasks. In addition, limited health literacy increases the risk of hospitalization, the overall cost of health care, and mortality rates. This article includes (1) the definition of health literacy, (2) the prevalence and consequences of limited health literacy, (3) signs of limited health literacy, (4) health literacy screening and assessment tools, (5) intervention strategies, and (6) implications for physical therapist education. PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EBSCOHost were searched for articles published from 1990 to 2010 with the descriptors: health literacy, older adults, patient education, functional health literacy, health literacy outcomes, health literacy assessment, and health literacy interventions. Limited health literacy affects millions of Americans and plays a significant role in reduced health outcomes for patients. Through patient education and targeted intervention strategies, physical therapists can assist patients in overcoming limitations and enhancing the quality of their health and medical care.

Which providers can bridge the health literacy gap in lifestyle risk factor modification education: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

BackgroundPeople with low health literacy may not have the capacity to self-manage their health and prevent the development of chronic disease through lifestyle risk factor modification. The aim of this narrative synthesis is to determine the effectiveness of primary healthcare providers in developing health literacy of patients to make SNAPW (smoking, nutrition, alcohol, physical activity and weight) lifestyle changes.MethodsStudies were identified by searching Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Joanna Briggs Institute, Psychinfo, Web of Science, Scopus, APAIS, Australian Medical Index, Community of Science and Google Scholar from 1 January 1985 to 30 April 2009. Health literacy and related concepts are poorly indexed in the databases so a list of text words were developed and tested for use. Hand searches were also conducted of four key journals. Studies published in English and included males and females aged 18 years and over with at least one SNAPW risk factor for the development of a chronic disease. The interventions had to be implemented within primary health care, with an aim to influence the health literacy of patients to make SNAPW lifestyle changes. The studies had to report an outcome measure associated with health literacy (knowledge, skills, attitudes, self efficacy, stages of change, motivation and patient activation) and SNAPW risk factor.The definition of health literacy in terms of functional, communicative and critical health literacy provided the guiding framework for the review.Results52 papers were included that described interventions to address health literacy and lifestyle risk factor modification provided by different health professionals. Most of the studies (71%, 37/52) demonstrated an improvement in health literacy, in particular interventions of a moderate to high intensity.Non medical health care providers were effective in improving health literacy. However this was confounded by intensity of intervention. Provider barriers impacted on their relationship with patients.ConclusionCapacity to provide interventions of sufficient intensity is an important condition for effective health literacy support for lifestyle change. This has implications for workforce development and the organisation of primary health care.

Contextualizing an expanded definition of health literacy among adolescents in the health care setting

The current emphasis on preventive health care and wellness services suggests that measures of skills and competencies needed to effectively navigate the health care system need to be better defined. We take an expanded perspective of health literacy and define it as a set of skills used to organize and apply health knowledge, attitudes and practices relevant when managing one's health environment. It is an emerging area of inquiry especially among adults and those with chronic conditions; however, it has been less studied among adolescent populations. To begin operationalizing this concept in a manner appropriate for teens in a health systems context, we explored knowledge, attitudes and practices related to health and preventive health care in 12 focus groups with publicly insured adolescents (N = 137), aged 13-17 years, as well as eight key informant interviews with physicians who serve publicly insured teens. Five dimensions emerged that provide a preliminary framework for an expanded definition of health literacy among adolescents. These include: (i) navigating the system, (ii) rights and responsibilities, (iii) preventive care, (iv) information seeking and (v) patient-provider relationship. This robust definition of health literacy contextualizes the concept in a health environment where individuals must be informed and skilled health care consumers.

The Swiss Health Literacy Survey: development and psychometric properties of a multidimensional instrument to assess competencies for health

Growing recognition of the role of citizens and patients in health and health care has placed a spotlight on health literacy and patient education. To identify specific competencies for health in definitions of health literacy and patient-centred concepts and empirically test their dimensionality in the general population. A thorough review of the literature on health literacy, self-management, patient empowerment, patient education and shared decision making revealed considerable conceptual overlap as competencies for health and identified a corpus of 30 generic competencies for health. A questionnaire containing 127 items covering the 30 competencies was fielded as a telephone interview in German, French and Italian among 1255 respondents randomly selected from the resident population in Switzerland. Analyses with the software MPlus to model items with mixed response categories showed that the items do not load onto a single factor. Multifactorial models with good fit could be erected for each of five dimensions defined a priori and their corresponding competencies: information and knowledge (four competencies, 17 items), general cognitive skills (four competencies, 17 items), social roles (two competencies, seven items), medical management (four competencies, 27 items) and healthy lifestyle (two competencies, six items). Multiple indicators and multiple causes models identified problematic differential item functioning for only six items belonging to two competencies. The psychometric analyses of this instrument support broader conceptualization of health literacy not as a single competence but rather as a package of competencies for health.

Systematic review of health literacy in Cochrane database studies on paediatric asthma educational interventions: searching beyond rigorous design

The purpose of this study was to evaluate if paediatric asthma educational intervention studies included in the Cochrane Collaboration database incorporated concepts of health literacy. Inclusion criteria were established to identify review categories in the Cochrane Collaboration database specific to paediatric asthma educational interventions. Articles that met the inclusion criteria were selected from the Cochrane Collaboration database in 2010. The health literacy definition from Healthy People 2010 was used to develop a 4-point a priori rating scale to determine the extent a study reported aspects of health literacy in the development of an educational intervention for parents and/or children. Five Cochrane review categories met the inclusion criteria; 75 studies were rated for health literacy content regarding educational interventions with families and children living with asthma. A priori criteria were used for the rating process. While 52 (69%) studies had no information pertaining to health literacy, 23 (31%) reported an aspect of health literacy. Although all studies maintained the rigorous standards of randomized clinical trials, a model of health literacy was not reported regarding the design and implementation of interventions. While a more comprehensive health literacy model for the development of educational interventions with families and children may have been available after the reviewed studies were conducted, general literacy levels still could have been addressed. The findings indicate a need to incorporate health literacy in the design of client-centred educational interventions and in the selection criteria of relevant Cochrane reviews. Inclusion assures that health literacy is as important as randomization and statistical analyses in the research design of educational interventions and may even assure participation of people with literacy challenges.

Health literacy and public health: A systematic review and integration of definitions and models

BackgroundHealth literacy concerns the knowledge and competences of persons to meet the complex demands of health in modern society. Although its importance is increasingly recognised, there is no consensus about the definition of health literacy or about its conceptual dimensions, which limits the possibilities for measurement and comparison. The aim of the study is to review definitions and models on health literacy to develop an integrated definition and conceptual model capturing the most comprehensive evidence-based dimensions of health literacy.MethodsA systematic literature review was performed to identify definitions and conceptual frameworks of health literacy. A content analysis of the definitions and conceptual frameworks was carried out to identify the central dimensions of health literacy and develop an integrated model.ResultsThe review resulted in 17 definitions of health literacy and 12 conceptual models. Based on the content analysis, an integrative conceptual model was developed containing 12 dimensions referring to the knowledge, motivation and competencies of accessing, understanding, appraising and applying health-related information within the healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion setting, respectively.ConclusionsBased upon this review, a model is proposed integrating medical and public health views of health literacy. The model can serve as a basis for developing health literacy enhancing interventions and provide a conceptual basis for the development and validation of measurement tools, capturing the different dimensions of health literacy within the healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion settings.

When the Patient and Family Just Do Not Get It

Low health literacy in patients and families has been called a silent epidemic. Although there is a great deal of literature to assist nurses to address health literacy problems, little has focused on overcoming low health literacy in critical care. This article provides a definition of health literacy, explores how Baker's health literacy model can be applied to the critical care environment using Osborne's practical strategies, and presents 2 patient scenarios in which addressing low health literacy changed the outcomes for the patient and family. The article concludes with recommendations for critical care nurses to overcome low health literacy of patients and their families.

Health Literacy: Applications to Health Psychology

This article aims to provide an overview of the emerging field of health literacy. It begins with a definition of health literacy and brief information on the current prevalence of low literacy levels, followed by three examples of how health literacy can be relevant to health psychology. The article then leads onto our recommendations for future research directions.

Health literacy in the pharmacy setting: defining pharmacotherapy literacy.

All currently available definitions of health literacy may be considered quite general. Given the complex nature of the patient-pharmacy encounter and the varying tasks required to properly and successfully consume or administer medication or to adhere to a pharmaceutical care regimen, these available definitions may describe inadequately a patient's health literacy for the purpose of pharmacotherapy and pharmacist intervention. Therefore, the objective of this research was to conceptualize the Pharmacotherapy Literacy construct. Licensed pharmacists (n=2,368) were mailed a questionnaire providing them with the Healthy People 2010 definition of health literacy and asked, "Given this definition, how would you define Pharmacotherapy Literacy?" A total of 420 usable surveys were returned of which 176 (42%) included responses to the open-ended question concerning pharmacotherapy literacy. Responses were reviewed independently and collectively by the authors. Common themes were identified, compared and discussed until consensus was reached. An initial definition was formulated and distributed to six doctoral-trained academicians and practicing pharmacists who were asked to offer their opinions of the definition as well as suggestions for its improvement. The definition was modified and subjected to further review from 15 additional doctoral-trained academicians and practicing pharmacists who provided feedback concerning its improvement. BASED ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS RECEIVED FROM THE ACADEMICIANS AND PHARMACISTS, THE FOLLOWING, FINAL DEFINITION WAS FORMULATED BY THE AUTHORS: Pharmacotherapy Literacy - An individual's capacity to obtain, evaluate, calculate, and comprehend basic information about pharmacotherapy and pharmacy related services necessary to make appropriate medication-related decisions, regardless of the mode of content delivery (e.g. written, oral, visual images and symbols). As the ever-changing pharmacy environment continues to advance and become more complex in nature, a definition of health literacy specific to the pharmacy setting - thereby providing a name and a focus - may improve medication consumption, medication safety, and the patient-pharmacist relationship.