Browsing by keyword "*Health Literacy"
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Change in health literacy over 2 years in older adults with diabetesPURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stability of health literacy in adults with diabetes over time. Understanding the dynamic nature of health literacy is important when tailoring health messages, especially those targeted at the management of chronic health conditions. METHOD: This was a descriptive longitudinal study of 751 adults with diabetes randomly selected from primary care practices in the Vermont Diabetes Information System study between July 2003 and December 2007. Participants were interviewed and completed questionnaires upon entrance into the study and again 24 months later. Health literacy was measured with the Short Test for Functional Health Literacy of Adults. Participants also completed the SF-12 and the Self-Administered Comorbidity Questionnaire and self-reported their sex, income, education, marital status, race/ethnicity, health insurance, duration of diabetes, and problems with vision. RESULTS: A significant decrease in health literacy was noted over 24 months. The largest decrease was in adults > / = 65 years of age and those with higher physical function at baseline. Smaller declines were noted for women and participants who were white, higher educated, poly-pharmacy users, and with fair to excellent vision. CONCLUSIONS: Health literacy exhibits decline with increasing age among adults with diabetes. Individual variability in health literacy has implications for the best timing and approach to provide self-management education and support.
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Health literacy and pap testing in insured womenSeveral studies have found a link between health literacy and participation in cancer screening. Most, however, have relied on self-report to determine screening status. Further, until now, health literacy measures have assessed print literacy only. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between participation in cervical cancer screening (Papanicolaou [Pap] testing) and two forms of health literacy-reading and listening. A demographically diverse sample was recruited from a pool of insured women in Georgia, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Colorado between June 2009 and April 2010. Health literacy was assessed using the Cancer Message Literacy Test-Listening and the Cancer Message Literacy Test-Reading. Adherence to cervical cancer screening was ascertained through electronic administrative data on Pap test utilization. The relationship between health literacy and adherence to evidence-based recommendations for Pap testing was examined using multivariate logistic regression models. Data from 527 women aged 40 to 65 were analyzed and are reported here. Of these 527 women, 397 (75 %) were up to date with Pap testing. Higher health literacy scores for listening but not reading predicted being up to date. The fact that health literacy listening was associated with screening behavior even in this insured population suggests that it has independent effects beyond those of access to care. Patients who have difficulty understanding spoken recommendations about cancer screening may be at risk for underutilizing screening as a result.