Health Literacy

PURPOSE: Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid is an increasingly common outpatient procedure. Patients are counseled about the indications and risks of this procedure and informed consent is obtained. We aimed to assess the extent to which patients acquired necessary knowledge during this process. METHODS: Survey study conducted in a thyroid nodule clinic at a referral center. Adult patients who had just undergone a thyroid biopsy were asked to complete a survey, including eight questions regarding the indications and potential outcomes of thyroid biopsy...

Epilepsy is frequently associated with neurocognitive impairments, mental health, and psychosocial problems but these are rarely documented in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to examine the neurocognitive outcomes, depressive symptoms, and psychosocial adjustments of people with epilepsy (PWE) in Kilifi, Kenya. We evaluated the impact of these outcomes on health-related quality of life. Self-report, interviewer-administered measures of depression (Major Depression Inventory) and quality of life (RAND SF-36) were administered to 63 PWE and 83 community controls...

Background: The United Nations has declared the Syrian refugee crisis to be the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era. Neighbouring countries, such as Jordan, strain to meet the health needs of Syrian refugees in addition to their own citizens given limited resources. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the perspectives of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Jordanian health care providers and other stakeholders in addressing the public health issues of the refugee crisis...

Little is known about the impacts of health literacy and English proficiency on the health status of Somali refugees. Data came from interviews in 2009-2011 of 411 adult Somali refugees recently resettled in Massachusetts. English proficiency, health literacy, and physical and mental health were measured using the Basic English Skills Test Plus, the Short Test of Health Literacy in Adults, and the Physical and Mental Component Summaries of the Short Form-12. Associations were analyzed using multiple linear regression...

Background: Chronic pain is a serious health problem with high rates of health care utilization (HCU). Many patients become stymied in a perpetual cycle of unsuccessful attempts to find relief from suffering through frequent health care visits. Especially within low-income populations, the burdens of health care services are especially unpleasant due to significant financial costs, barriers to transportation, and high levels of stress. This study aimed to examine factors associated with HCU for chronic pain in low-income settings...

BACKGROUND: Shared decision-making in the Emergency Department (ED) can increase patient engagement for patients presenting with chest pain. However, little is known regarding which factors are associated with actual patient involvement in decision-making or patients' desired involvement in emergency care decisions. We examined which factors were associated with patients' actual and desired involvement in decision-making among ED chest pain patients. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized trial of a shared decision-making intervention in ED patients with low-risk chest pain...

INTRODUCTION: Registered nurses working in the area of mental health complete either a psychiatric/mental health or comprehensive/generalist nursing program, and their education preparation influences their physical health care nursing practices. The differences in educational preparation may be a contributory factor to nurses' delivery of physical health care to young people experiencing first episode psychosis. This paper addresses an identified gap in nursing practices related to physical health care of young mental health service users...

OBJECTIVE: Improving health literacy at an early age is crucial to personal health and development. Although health literacy in children and adolescents has gained momentum in the past decade, it remains an under-researched area, particularly health literacy measurement. This study aimed to examine the quality of health literacy instruments used in children and adolescents and to identify the best instrument for field use. DESIGN: Systematic review. SETTING: A wide range of settings including schools, clinics and communities...

BACKGROUNDS: The concept of mental health literacy suggests that higher literacy increases the likelihood of seeking treatment. However, previous studies mostly use vignettes, and do not investigate actual help-seeking behaviour. METHODS: We assessed depression literacy and type of mental illness in a convenience sample of 207 adults with currently untreated mental health problems from the general population. Our analysis sample comprised 152 adults (Mage   = 52...

BACKGROUND: Lowering the likelihood of hospitalization in older adults is a major public health goal for modern health care systems. Emerging data suggest that financial literacy is an important determinant of health outcomes in old age, but the relationship with hospitalization has not been explored. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that better financial literacy is related to lower risk of hospitalization in older persons. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study...

Background: The aim of this study was to conduct a sero-epidemiological survey in Alborz Province, central Iran to detect the rate of hydatidosis in the city and nearby villages. Methods: Overall, 680 serum samples were collected from 536 male and 127 female subjects referred to different health centers of Karaj, Alborz Province, central Iran and nearby villages in 2014-15. All patients filled out a questionnaire and an informed consent. Sera were analyzed using indirect-ELISA test with AgB...

AIM: Most mental health conditions affect adolescent and young adults. The onset of many mental disorders occurs in the young age. This is a critical period to implement interventions to enhance mental health literacy (MHL) and to prevent the occurrence of mental health problems. This systematic review examined the effectiveness of information and communication technologies interventions on MHL (recognition of conditions, stigma and help-seeking). METHODS: The authors searched for both published and unpublished studies...

BACKGROUND: Given a shortage of construction workers, it is important to develop strategies to avoid early retirement caused by cardiovascular diseases in Hong Kong. OBJECTIVES: (1) to describe the cardiovascular health of construction workers in Hong Kong, (2) to examine the demographic differences in cardiovascular health, and (3) to examine the association between health behaviors and cardiovascular health factors. METHODS: 626 registered construction workers were included in the analysis...

Menu calorie labeling aims to empower customers to make healthier food choices, but researchers have questioned whether labels will empower those with greater health literacy, literacy or numeracy more, possibly reinforcing racial/ethnic or socioeconomic disparities in obesity. The goal of this study was to investigate differences in seeing and using restaurant menu calorie labels and whether differences have compounded over time. Using data from three rounds of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey covering the period 2007-2014, we investigate race-ethnic and socio-economic differences in menu label usage over time adjusting for sex, age and body weight...

AIMS: Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) recommend evidence-based psychosocial interventions (EBPIs) to improve consumer recovery; however, availability appears limited. We describe receipt of six EBPIs, reported by people with psychoses, and associations with service and consumer characteristics, including indicators of need (eligibility) and benefit (suitability). METHODS: Participants in the 2010 Australian national survey of psychosis (n = 1825) were interviewed to assess demographic, functional, mental and physical health characteristics and service use in the previous year...

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the health literacy of the baby boomer generation and what this means for nursing care. BACKGROUND: Nurses are encouraged to tailor information and education to the individual's level of understanding or health literacy but there may be generational differences in health literacy due to historical, social, and economic contexts. The baby boomer generation, people born between 1946 and 1966, are projected to be high users of health services as they age, therefore nurses' understanding of their health literacy characteristics is important...

AIM: To examine the relationships of health literacy to diabetes self-care behaviors (diet, physical exercise, foot care and blood glucose monitoring) through empowerment controlling for diabetes education. BACKGROUND: Potential mechanisms of how health literacy links to health outcomes have not clearly elucidated. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design was used. METHODS: Participants were recruited from three community health centers in South Korea from September 2016 - April 2017 using a convenience sampling method...

The number of undergraduate public health education programs is increasing, but few publications provide examples of introductory public health courses that provide foundational knowledge and meet 2016 Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH) accreditation standards. This article presents the development and testing of a three-course, introductory series in public health at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (UHM). Development was informed by best pedagogical practices in education, web review of existing programs, literature review, key informant interviews, and accreditation standards...

BACKGROUND: Non-attendance for vascular screening potentially restricts the overall benefit of screening at population level, but may be the result of rational judgment on the part of invitees who might not consider their risk to be relevant. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of current use of preventive medication and personal risk attitude as potential factors explaining non-attendance at triple vascular screening. METHODS: This was a case control study across 25,078 men offered screening and intervention for abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral artery disease, and hypertension in the Viborg Vascular (VIVA) screening trial...

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to identify the prevalence of inadequate health literacy in patients with arterial vascular disease. This was a cross sectional study. METHODS: Patients with arterial vascular disease visiting the outpatient clinic between January 5, 2015 and December 28, 2016, were randomly included and screened for inadequate health literacy with the Newest Vital Sign-Dutch (NVS-D), a validated health literacy assessment measure. A score of <4 out of six identified individuals with inadequate health literacy...