Health Literacy Skills Research Articles

Integrating consumer perspectives into a large-scale health literacy audit of health information materials: learnings and next steps

BackgroundHealth information is less effective when it does not meet the health literacy needs of its consumers. For health organisations, assessing the appropriateness of their existing health information resources is a key step to addressing this issue. This study describes novel methods for a consumer-centred large-scale health literacy audit of existing resources and reflects on opportunities to further refine the method.MethodsThis audit focused on resources developed by NPS MedicineWise, an Australian not-for-profit that promotes safe and informed use of medicines. The audit comprised 4 stages, with consumers engaged at each stage: 1) Select a sample of resources for assessment; 2) Assess the sample using subjective (Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool) and objective (Sydney Health Literacy Lab Health Literacy Editor) assessment tools; 3) Review audit findings through workshops and identify priority areas for future work; 4) Reflect and gather feedback on the audit process via interviews.ResultsOf 147 resources, consumers selected 49 for detailed assessment that covered a range of health topics, health literacy skills, and formats, and which had varied web usage. Overall, 42 resources (85.7%) were assessed as easy to understand, but only 26 (53.1%) as easy to act on. A typical text was written at a grade 12 reading level and used the passive voice 6 times. About one in five words in a typical text were considered complex (19%). Workshops identified three key areas for action: make resources easier to understand and act on; consider the readers’ context, needs, and skills; and improve inclusiveness and representation. Interviews with workshop attendees highlighted that audit methods could be further improved by setting clear expectations about the project rationale, objectives, and consumer roles; providing consumers with a simpler subjective health literacy assessment tool, and addressing issues related to diverse representation.ConclusionsThis audit yielded valuable consumer-centred priorities for improving organisational health literacy with regards to updating a large existing database of health information resources. We also identified important opportunities to further refine the process. Study findings provide valuable practical insights that can inform organisational health actions for the upcoming Australian National Health Literacy Strategy.

Insights From Immigrant and Refugee Communities Regarding COVID-19 Needs and Opportunities: A Mixed Methods Study

: This mixed methods study describes processes to actively engage underserved, immigrant, and refugee communities in COVID-19 vaccine efforts to co-create culturally relevant resources and dissemination. : A survey on health care characteristics and COVID-19 attitudes was deployed between March-November 2021 followed by listening sessions conducted in December 2021. All participants were recruited through the project's Community Advisory Board. The survey, completed by 77 adults, was available in English, Spanish, Burmese, Kizigua, and Karen. Listening sessions were led by trained, multilingual, and multicultural interviewers. : Doctors/healthcare providers were rated as the most trusted messengers of COVID-19 information, however, trusted sources varied across communities. Data from three listening sessions (with a total of 14 participants) expanded survey findings with a focus on trusted sources of COVID-19 communication. : This study confirmed the importance of healthcare professionals as trusted messengers for COVID-19 information among underserved communities. Qualitative data highlighted the importance of schools, ethnically-based community organizations, and friends/family with health and English literacy skills for immigrant and refugee communities. Findings suggest opportunities for collaboration with specific trusted sources for future public health dissemination efforts. : not applicable.

The Value of Health Literacy in Communication Sciences and Disorders Programs

Purpose: Achieving self-directed health care with good health outcomes begins with clients having adequate health literacy (HL) skills. Higher education programs, like communication sciences and disorders (CSD), have a role in cultivating HL. This study examines the speech-language pathology leaders' (administrators and faculty) sense-making of HL for their preparation programs and how/why CSD leaders implement/embed health literacy education (HLE). Method: This qualitative, phenomenological study used a screening survey of U.S. CSD leaders to assess their use of HL strategies, based on the Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit–Second Edition. Ten participants who reported at least medium-frequency HL use were identified and interviewed based on the screening survey responses showing at least medium-frequency HL use. Results: CSD leaders' description and value of HL and explanations of how they implement HLE are described under three themes: HL as communicating so clients understand, HL as personal agency toward well-being, and CSD leaders waiting on others to lead HL conversations. The results indicate that most CSD leaders inaccurately perceive HL as providing health resources with clear and simple communication. Participants value HL as a step toward client empowerment. Despite CSD leaders' acknowledgment that HL holds the promise of self-directed health care, without formal conversations making sense of this significance, HLE occurs intuitively and without much depth. Conclusions: CSD leaders must understand that HL is essential for client empowerment and well-being. This unique study demonstrates that CSD leaders need to increase their knowledge of HL to ultimately help their clients achieve empowerment for optimal health outcomes.

Susceptibility to Breast Cancer Misinformation Among Chinese Patients: Cross-sectional Study.

Currently, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the sixth-leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Chinese women. Worse still, misinformation contributes to the aggravation of the breast cancer burden in China. There is a pressing need to investigate the susceptibility to breast cancer misinformation among Chinese patients. However, no study has been performed in this respect. This study aims to ascertain whether some demographics (age, gender, and education), some health literacy skills, and the internal locus of control are significantly associated with the susceptibility to misinformation about all types of breast cancers among randomly sampled Chinese patients of both genders in order to provide insightful implications for clinical practice, health education, medical research, and health policy making. We first designed a questionnaire comprising 4 sections of information: age, gender, and education (section 1); self-assessed disease knowledge (section 2); the All Aspects of Health Literacy Scale (AAHLS), the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS), the 6-item General Health Numeracy Test (GHNT-6), and the "Internal" subscale of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) scales (section 3); and 10 breast cancer myths collected from some officially registered and authenticated websites (section 4). Subsequently, we recruited patients from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, China, using randomized sampling. The questionnaire was administered via wenjuanxing, the most popular online survey platform in China. The collected data were manipulated in a Microsoft Excel file. We manually checked the validity of each questionnaire using the predefined validity criterion. After that, we coded all valid questionnaires according to the predefined coding scheme, based on Likert scales of different point (score) ranges for different sections of the questionnaire. In the subsequent step, we calculated the sums of the subsections of the AAHLS and the sums of the 2 health literacy scales (the eHEALS and GHNT-6) and the 10 breast cancer myths. Finally, we applied logistic regression modeling to relate the scores in section 4 to the scores in sections 1-3 of the questionnaire to identify what significantly contributes to the susceptibility to breast cancer misinformation among Chinese patients. All 447 questionnaires collected were valid according to the validity criterion. The participants were aged 38.29 (SD 11.52) years on average. The mean score for their education was 3.68 (SD 1.46), implying that their average educational attainment was between year 12 and a diploma (junior college). Of the 447 participants, 348 (77.85%) were women. The mean score for their self-assessed disease knowledge was 2.50 (SD 0.92), indicating that their self-assessed disease knowledge status was between "knowing a lot" and "knowing some." The mean scores of the subconstructs in the AAHLS were 6.22 (SD 1.34) for functional health literacy, 5.22 (SD 1.54) for communicative health literacy, and 11.19 (SD 1.99) for critical health literacy. The mean score for eHealth literacy was 24.21 (SD 5.49). The mean score for the 6 questions in the GHNT-6 was 1.57 (SD 0.49), 1.21 (SD 0.41), 1.24 (SD 0.43), 1.90 (SD 0.30), 1.82 (SD 0.39), and 1.73 (SD 0.44), respectively. The mean score for the patients' health beliefs and self-confidence was 21.19 (SD 5.63). The mean score for their response to each myth ranged from 1.24 (SD 0.43) to 1.67 (SD 0.47), and the mean score for responses to the 10 myths was 14.03 (SD 1.78). Through interpreting these descriptive statistics, we found that Chinese female patients' limited ability to rebut breast cancer misinformation is mainly attributed to 5 factors: (1) lower communicative health literacy, (2) certainty about self-assessed eHealth literacy skills, (3) lower general health numeracy, (4) positive self-assessment of general disease knowledge, and (5) more negative health beliefs and lower levels of self-confidence. Drawing on logistic regression modeling, we studied the susceptibility to breast cancer misinformation among Chinese patients. The predicting factors of the susceptibility to breast cancer misinformation identified in this study can provide insightful implications for clinical practice, health education, medical research, and health policy making.

Health Information as a Human Right: From Justification to Practice

The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated how necessary clear and accurate health information is and yet how vulnerable people are to mis- and disinformation. The objective of this article is to put forth a sound argument, based on both policy and philosophical doctrine, on why people—regardless of citizenship—have a right to accurate, current health information. Evidence is provided to show that access to quality health information is a human right asserted by the United Nations, and academic writing from scholars of philosophy is explored to put forth a moral assertion that agrees. Finally, practical measures are offered for librarians and other information professionals to promote these rights in their institutions and communities—for example, by teaching health and information literacy skills while pushing back on disinformation flooding communities in times of crisis.

The impact of a children's literature-based cognitive behavioural therapy skills curriculum on middle-school youth who self-report clinically relevant and non-clinical mental health symptomatology

To evaluate potential differences in the impact of a children's literature-based mental health literacy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) skills curriculum on middle-schoolers with and without mental health symptoms that may be clinically relevant. Youth (aged 11-14; grades 7-8) who received a 3-month teacher-delivered intervention embedded in the language arts curriculum (N=196) were compared to a wait-list control group (N=233) from a large, diverse, urban school board in Canada. The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) and Life Problems Inventory (LPI) were administered. Youth were divided according to scores of possible clinical relevance into "clinical" and "non-clinical" groups. A mixed ANOVA (Intervention and Clinical status at baseline are between subject scores and Time is the only repeated measure) was used clustered by classroom. Thirty-three-point six percent of all participants endorsed symptoms of potential clinical relevance on the RCADS and/or one of its subscales. The primary analyses were non-significant but also underpowered to detect outcomes (RCADS β = 0 .14; LPI β = 0.28). LPI scores improved numerically for intervention vs. control youth (clinical: -8% vs. +24%; non-clinical -9% vs. 0%, effect size = .002). This study was underpowered; however, it did identify a potentially clinically meaningful trend in a measure of maladaptive coping (LPI) favouring the intervention. A future, well-powered study is needed to characterize the impact of this intervention.

Patterns of Change in Parental Health Literacy in Relation to Children's Oral Health.

Although health literacy (HL) skills may change over time, most research treats HL as a constant, using baseline HL to predict other health-related constructs. Few studies have explored change in HL over time. We examined person-level differences in HL trajectories. We identified subgroups (latent classes) based on longitudinal assessments of HL and examined the association of class membership with demographic and oral health variables. We used four measurement waves of parental HL data, reflecting the risk of limited HL, collected as part of an intervention to reduce dental decay in American Indian children (N = 579 parent-child dyads at baseline). Repeated measures latent class analysis (RMLCA) models were estimated to identify subgroups of HL trajectories over time. We examined class membership in association with baseline demographics and with 36-month assessments of parental oral health knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors as well as pediatric oral health. A four-class model best fit the data. The largest class (high HL; 49.7% of the sample) was characterized by high levels of HL at all waves. A second class (improving HL; 17.7%) improved over all waves. The remaining two classes were characterized as moderate HL (20%) and low HL (12.6%) and maintained relatively stable HL levels over time. Higher educational attainment was associated with membership in the high HL and improving HL classes. Older age among this young-adult sample and higher income also were associated with high HL class membership. Parents in the high HL and improving HL classes exhibited more favorable performance on measures of oral health knowledge, beliefs, and behavioral adherence than did those in the other classes. Class membership was not associated with pediatric oral health. RMLCA demonstrated person-level variability in HL trajectories. Longitudinal patterns were associated with baseline demographics and prospectively with parental oral health knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors, but not with pediatric oral health. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2023;7(2):e89-e98.].

235 Use of Community Review Boards to Evaluate the Utility of the ICF Navigator - A Browser-based Tool to Create Plain-Language Informed Consent Forms

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: To evaluate the clarity of plain-language informed consent forms (ICF) created using a browser-based tool called the ICF Navigator, we solicited feedback from two community review boards (CRB) to ensure the resulting ICF met the informational needs of all potential participants, including those with limited health literacy skills. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Community-engaged research highlights the importance of involving community members in the planning and execution of translational research projects. Virtual discussions were held to elicit feedback from two separate CRBs on the understandability of an ICF that was generated using an online, browser-based tool that we designed to aid researchers in the creation of plain-language ICFs. CRBs included representation of diverse communities from across the state of Arkansas, including individuals who may have limited health literacy skills, those with and without prior experience participating in clinical research projects, members living in rural and urban settings, and those whose race or ethnicity have been traditionally underrepresented among clinical research participants. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: CRB feedback was used to inform actionable improvements to the tool, such as removing content redundancies and embedding tips to guide researchers on how best to optimize the clarity and understandability of resulting ICFs. Program refinements in response to the feedback have been implemented and will be evaluated in another round of CRB discussions in early 2023. Feedback from this follow-up CRB session will also be presented in addition to a discussion of how the feedback was used to improve the online tool, which will ultimately be available for free use by other institutions. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The use of community feedback to optimize the functionality of the ICF Navigator demonstrates the value of CRBs for ensuring that ICFs are culturally salient and readily understandable by all potential research participants, particularly those who may have limited health literacy skills, thereby promoting more equitable opportunities for all.

Examining the relationship between health literacy and quality of life: evidence from older people admitted to the hospital

IntroductionLiteracy has become an increasingly serious problem, especially as it relates to health care. In this regard, health literacy (HL), as a cognitive skill, has proven to be an influential factor to improve of the quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to examine the level of HL and its relationship with the QOL of older people at the time of discharge from the hospital in the south of Iran.MethodsThis descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study included 300 older people admitted and treated in 10 teaching-therapeutic hospitals affiliated with the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2021. The standard Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA) questionnaire and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) were used to collect the required data. Data were analyzed with SPSS software version 23 software using descriptive and inferential statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, T-test, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression at p = 0.05.ResultsThe mean scores of Hl and QOL for older people were 48.22 ± 9.63 (out of 100) and 61.59 ± 12.43 (out of 120), respectively. Moreover, there was a significant direct correlation between the participants’ HL and their QOL (r=0.388, p<0.001). All dimensions of HL, including comprehension (β=0.461, p<0.001), decision-making and behavior (β=0.434, p<0.001), access (β=0.397, p<0.001), reading skill (β=0.362, p=0.002), and assessment (β=0.278, p=0.004), were significant relationship with QOL. A statistically significant difference was revealed between the mean scores of HL regarding the participants’ gender (p=0.04) and level of education (p=0.001). Furthermore, the mean scores of QOL were significantly different with regard to older people’s gender (p=0.02), marital status (p=0.03), level of education (p=0.002), and income (p=0.01).ConclusionThe findings revealed the participants’ inadequate HL and average QOL. Considering the relationship of HL with QOL, it is recommended to develop comprehensive programs and effective interventions to develop HL skills and subsequently improve QOL among older people.

Person-centred care in the Dutch primary care setting: Refinement of middle-range theory by patients and professionals.

In a previous rapid realist review (RRR) of international literature insight was provided into how, why, and under what circumstances person-centred care (PCC) in primary care works (or not) among others for people with low health literacy skills and for people with a diverse ethnic and socioeconomic background, by establishing a middle-range programme theory (PT), which describes the relationship between context items, mechanisms, and outcomes. Since the application of PCC in primary care in the Dutch setting is expected to differ from other countries, the objective of this study is to validate the items (face validity) resulting from the RRR for the Dutch setting by assessing consensus on the relevance of items. Four focus group discussions with patient representatives and patients with limited health literacy skills (n = 14), and primary care professionals (n = 11) were held partly combined with a Delphi-study. Items were added to refine the middle-range PT for the Dutch primary care setting. These items indicated that in order to optimally align care to the patient tailored supporting material that is developed together with the target group is important, next to providing tailored communication. Healthcare providers (HCPs) and patients need to have a shared vision and set up goals and action plans together. HCPs should stimulate patient's self-efficacy, need to be aware of the patient's (social) circumstances and work in a culturally sensitive way. Better integration between information and communications technology systems, flexible payment models, and patients access to documents, and recorded consultations should be in place. This may result in better alignment of care to the needs of patients, improved accessibility to care, improved patient's self-efficacy, and improved health-related quality of life. On the long-term higher cost-effectiveness and a higher quality of healthcare can be realised. In conclusion, this study shows that for PCC to be effective in Dutch primary care, the PT based on international literature was refined by leaving out items and adding new items for which insufficient or sufficient consensus, respectively, was found.

Health literacy and COVID-19-related beliefs and behaviors: a longitudinal study of the Japanese general population.

Since the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), health communication has played a critical role in the process of disease prevention. Based on the concepts of health literacy and protection motivation theory, this study longitudinally examined the relationship between general health literacy measured immediately before the COVID-19 outbreak, and COVID-19-related information utilization, health literacy, beliefs and protective behaviors during the subsequent year in the Japanese general population. The participants were 767 Japanese residents who completed self-administered questionnaire surveys in January 2020 and February 2021. Based on the hypotheses, we constructed and tested a path model to predict the adoption of protective behaviors. Higher health literacy in 2020 was significantly related to higher COVID-19-related health literacy in 2021, which, in turn, was related to the adoption of recommended protective behaviors both directly and indirectly through threat and coping appraisal. Coping appraisal, but not threat appraisal, significantly differed by health literacy level. Generic health literacy skills for accessing, understanding and applying health information may enable people to better adapt to specific health risks. Our findings provide guidance for future health literacy education and health risk communication in populations with different health literacy levels.

Cultural Adaptation of a Health Literacy Toolkit for Healthcare Professionals Working in the Primary Care Setting with Older Adults.

Healthcare professionals' health literacy (HL) knowledge and skills influence their interaction with older adults. Healthcare professionals, when effectively communicating with older adults, can empower and enhance patients' skills to make informed decisions about their health. The study aimed to adapt and pilot test a HL toolkit to enhance the HL skills of health professionals working with older adults. A mixed methodology of three phases was used. Initially, the healthcare professionals' and older adults' needs were identified. Following a literature review of existing tools, a HL toolkit was selected, translated, and adapted into Greek. The HL toolkit was introduced to 128 healthcare professionals as part of 4 h webinars; 82 healthcare professionals completed baseline and post assessments, and 24 healthcare professionals implemented it in their clinical practice. The questionnaires used included an interview on HL knowledge, communication strategies, and self-efficacy using a communication scale. HL and communication strategies knowledge (13 items) and self-efficacy in communication (t = -11.127, df = 81, p < 0.001) improved after the end of the HL webinars, and improvement was retained during the follow-up after 2 months (H = 8.99, df = 2, p < 0.05). A culturally adapted HL toolkit was developed to support the needs of healthcare professionals working with older adults, taking into consideration their feedback in all phases of the development.

Medical misinformation: A primer and recommendations for pharmacists

AbstractMedical misinformation is more pervasive today because of widespread and near instantaneous dissemination of information via the internet and social media platforms. Consequences of medical misinformation may include decreased uptake of needed health care resources, delays in seeking care, vaccine hesitancy, medication non‐compliance, increased disease outbreaks and/or burden, and increased hospitalization and mortality. It disproportionately impacts underserved populations, including Black patients, those who identify as LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more), and patients with reduced health literacy skills or who are digitally disadvantaged. Medical misinformation challenges health care professionals not only to provide the best care possible, but to assist patients in finding accurate information. Preprint publications, although potentially beneficial in rapidly disseminating new scientific discoveries, often have not undergone peer review and may contribute to the widespread propagation of inaccurate or overstated results, thereby perpetuating the spread of medical misinformation when it exists. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic highlighted the importance of practicing evidence‐based medicine and the need for cautious review of preprint publications and articles from predatory publishers in addition to usual and customary literature evaluation techniques. Everyone plays a role in preventing the spread of medical misinformation, with pharmacists uniquely positioned as trusted and highly accessible professionals who may help combat its spread. The goal of this article is to define medical misinformation and related terms, outline mechanisms by which it is spread, describe its clinical impact, highlight how it disproportionately impacts underserved populations, provide actionable strategies to prevent its spread, and give examples of practical tactics to help identify, correct, and alert individuals about the possible presence of medical misinformation.

Relationship between health literacy skills and walking behavior to prevent osteoporosis among health volunteers.

Considering the effect of exercise and health literacy in preventing osteoporosis, the effect of health literacy in adopting preventive behaviors, and the role of health volunteers in transferring health messages to the community, this study aimed to determine the relationship between health literacy skills and adopting walking behavior to prevent osteoporosis in women health volunteers.In a cross-sectional study, 290 health volunteers referring to Qazvin health centers in 2020 were selected through Multi-stage random sampling. Data were collected using a health literacy questionnaire (HELIA) and a questionnaire for the adoption of walking behaviors for the prevention of osteoporosis, and they were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression in SPSS software version 23.The adoption of walking behaviors to prevent osteoporosis was at an average level. Age (P = 0.034, OR = 1.098), decision-making and application of health information (P < 0.001, OR = 1.135), understanding (P = 0.031, OR = 1.054), and evaluation skills (P = 0.018, OR = 1.049) were factors affecting the adoption of this behavior so that by increasing one score to these variables, the chance of adopting the behavior increased 1.098, 1.135, 1.054 and 1.049 respectively. Also, the level of education was another effective variable in adopting this behavior, so having a favorable level of adoption of this behavior in health volunteers with a diploma degree (P = 0.017, OR = 0.736) and below diploma (P = 0.011, OR = 0.960), were 0.736 and 0.960 times of those with university degrees respectively.The adoption of walking behaviors to prevent osteoporosis among health volunteers - who have lower age, education, and decision-making skills and the use of health information, understanding, and evaluation - was less. Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to them when designing educational health programs.

What the Data Say: The Utility of Better Health Literacy during and beyond COVID-19

Objective: The aim of this paper was to identify the reported need for health literacy related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored the role of health literacy in people’s understanding and acceptance of scientific evidence and digital information during the COVID-19 infodemic and beyond. Methods: We followed PRISMA guidelines to guide our scoping review and synthesize relevant sources of literature related to health literacy and COVID-19. PRISMA guidelines helped to identify inclusion/exclusion criteria to assess time period and quality sources from academic papers. Results: A total of 397 articles were screened, with 44 articles meeting criteria. We identified the necessity of health-literate individuals and data through examples of “information pollution” contributing to the infodemic. We reflected on some key COVID-19 lessons learned, sharing examples and approaches using a health literacy lens in our public health response within our digital landscape. Conclusions: This review highlights the need to enhance health literacy skills among individuals, organizations, and governments to empower citizens and communities by bridging the digital health information gap among scientists, public health officials, and the public. More work is needed for effective health literacy capacity building to navigate science, enhance accurate online health communication, and minimize controversies for future public health crises.

Unsung heroes in health education and promotion: How Community Health Workers contribute to hypertension management.

Rural communities are noted as having poor health outcomes. Rural areas experience barriers to care primarily due to a lack of resources, including education, health insurance, transportation, and social support. Additionally, poor health outcomes are a consequence of poor health literacy skills. Community Health Workers (CHWs) are utilized as a resource to combat these issues. This study focused on a CHW led Self-Management Blood Pressure (SMBP) program offered through the University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center. The goal of the program was to improve management of hypertension through awareness, education, navigation, advocacy, and resource assistance. The SMBP program included structured workshops and regular follow-up with participants including connections to community resources and social support. CHWs worked closely with physicians providing bi-directional feedback on referrals and engagement of communities through outreach events. Furthermore, CHWs aided to bridge cultural or linguistic gaps between service providers and community members. Data is provided indicating this CHW-led intervention played a significant role in improving hypertension through education of how to make lifestyle changes that impact overall health and quality of life. Participants gained knowledge encouraging them to create lifelong healthy habits, coping skills, stress management, self-care, and accountability. Through this innovative approach, participants thrived in the supportive and encouraging environment led by CHWs as well as improved their blood pressure management.

How School Libraries Can Promote Health Literacy in Challenging Times

Health literacy skills are needed to source, evaluate, and comprehend health information and services in order to make appropriate and informed health decisions. Given that an individual’s health outcomes are positively influenced by their level of health literacy, schools are increasingly committed to fostering health literacy in their students. Young people may face many health literacy challenges exacerbated by the global pandemic and the burgeoning array of questionable health information disseminated through social media. As information and digital literacy experts, school library professionals can draw upon their existing skillset and further extend their skills in order to play a key role in developing students’ health literacy, supporting their capacity to reject health misinformation and be discerning consumers of health information from a wide range of sources.

Association between multiple chronic conditions and insufficient health literacy: cross-sectional evidence from a population-based sample of older adults living in Switzerland

BackgroundHealth literacy is the ability to find, understand, assess, and apply health information. Individuals suffering from multiple chronic conditions have complex healthcare needs that may challenge their health literacy skills. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between multimorbidity, the number of chronic conditions, and health literacy levels in a sample of adults aged 58+ in Switzerland.MethodsWe used data from 1,615 respondents to a paper-and-pencil questionnaire administered as part of wave 8 (2019/2020) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in Switzerland. Health literacy was measured using the short version of the European Health Literacy Survey questionnaire. The final score ranged from 0 to 16 and was categorised into three health literacy levels: inadequate (0–8), problematic (9–12), and sufficient (13–16). The number of chronic conditions was self-reported based on a pre-defined list. Associations were examined using multivariable ordinary least squares and ordered probit regression models, controlling for key socio-demographic characteristics.ResultsOverall, 63.5% of respondents reported having at least one chronic condition. Respondents who reported one, two, and three or more chronic conditions were more likely to have lower health literacy scores compared to respondents who did not report any chronic condition (p<0.05, p<0.01, and p<0.001, respectively). Suffering from two and three or more chronic conditions (vs. no chronic condition) was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of having inadequate or problematic health literacy levels (both p-values <0.01).ConclusionsOur findings suggest a need to improve health literacy in older adults suffering from chronic conditions. Improved health literacy could constitute a promising lever to empower individuals to better self-manage their health to ultimately reduce the double burden of chronic diseases and insufficient health literacy in this vulnerable population.

Factors facilitating shared decision making in eczema: Met and unmet needs from the patient perspective

Research has shown that eczema patients prefer some degree of shared control over treatment decisions, but little is known about factors perceived to be important to facilitate shared decision making (SDM). To determine factors eczema patients and caregivers consider to be important for SDM, and how often they experience them with their eczema healthcare provider (HCP). A cross-sectional survey study (64 questions) was conducted, which included factors related to SDM rated by respondents on a Likert scale for importance, and how often these factors were true with their current eczema HCP. Respondents (840, response rate 62.4%) most frequently rated their health literacy and communication skills as important for SDM. Factors which indicated a strong provider-patient relationship, and HCPs who initiate treatment conversations were also deemed beneficial. Low importance was placed on concordant HCP race/ethnicity, however, of those who did rate it as important, 53/91 identified as Black (half of all Black respondents). A high proportion of respondents were aware of the term SDM prior to the survey. SDM is more likely to be facilitated when patient education and empowerment are coupled with HCPs who initiate treatment discussions, maintain compassion resilience, and listen to patient perspectives.

Digital Health Literacy Competencies of Students in Faculty of Health Science

Background: Students are the most significant internet users in Indonesia. 49.52% of internet user groups in Indonesia are students. High internet users do not guarantee that digital health literacy is also high. Students at the Universitas Dian Nuswantoro health faculty are responsible for disseminating health information and transmitting digital health literacy interests. Health literacy skills are necessary for health students to sort out doubtful information. Good health literacy skills will impact students' ability to assess incoming data and make appropriate health decisions. This study aims to describe the digital health literacy skills possessed by students of the Faculty of Health. Universitas Dian Nuswantoro. Method: This descriptive study provides an overview/description of the digital health literacy skills possessed by students of the Faculty of Health. Universitas Dian Nuswantoro. The research population of health students is 1.642 people with the sample being 321 students. Data collection using Google Forms and distributed through class groups in WhatsApp (WA) and communicated privately. The statistical test used descriptive statistical analysis. Results: Faculty of Health Science at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro students had an "Advanced" or "Independent-Advanced" level of competence. The advanced level indicates that their digital competencies and health information skills are at their current status and without problems. Indicators that digital health literacy can improve our safety. Thus. students can improve methods for securing personal data. Conclusion: Digital health literacy is an ability needed in today's digital era. What needs to be improved is that students can choose the most appropriate method to protect personal data.