Health Literacy Flashcards
What is Intersectionality theory?
How influencing factors create a unique experience including discrimination and oppression. Examines what disadvantages and advantages are formed.
What are the influencing factors of intersectionality?
religion, culture, sexuality, gender, SES, literacy
What is the intersectionality?
No one factor is more important than another
Recognizes diversity withing identity categories
Intersectionality when applied to health:
Acknowledges nature of power structures historical placement
What are the health benefits generated by education?
Higher grades = Lower rates of risk behaviour and higher wages
What health disadvantages are generated by less education?
less education = poorer health, higher rates of disease and health issues (Higher rates of diabetes, liver disease, depression)
Who is 4.1 times as likely to rate health as poor than those with secondary education?
Those with less than a highs school education
Define health literacy:
Set of abilities needed to understand and use common symbol system of a cultures alphabets, numbers, visual icons.
What capacity does health literacy create?
The capacity of individuals to use and make critical judgments about information they encounter everyday
What is an indicator of health disparities?
Health literacy
What does addressing health literacy skills in vulnerable groups do?
Minimise health inequities
What are individuals with functional health literacy enabled to do?
Understand oral/written info
Follow written/numerical directions
Ask questions
Report medical history
Contribute to problem solving
What percent of Canadians are unable to understand and act upon health information to make health decisions independently?
60%
Who on average has lower levels of health literacy skills?
Seniors
Immigrants
Unemployed
What are individuals with low health literacy less likely be able to do?
Identify their own meds
Understand how to take their meds
Understand potential side effects of meds
Understand warning labels
What are the three levels of literacy by Nutbeam?
- Basic or Functional level
- Communicative or interactive level
- Critical level
What is the functional level?
Basic reading or writing skills necessary to understand and follow simple health related instructions and information
What is an example of functional health literacy?
Understand medication labels or appointment slips
What is the interactive level?
More advanced literacy skills. Can extract info, interpret it and use it in health-related contexts.
What is an example of interactive health literacy?
Engage in discussions with HCP
Participate in decision making
What is critical health literacy?
Increased critical thinking. Critically evaluate health info, understand SDOHs, question sources and engage in health promoting activities.
What is health numeracy?
The capacity to assess, interpret, communicate and aft on numerical health info to make effective health decisions.
What are examples of numerical health information?
Graphs, biostats, probabilities
What are the functional categories of health numeracy?
Basic
Computational
Analytical
Statistical
What is basic health numeracy?
Understanding medication labels dosage instructions
Example of basic health numeracy?
Understanding how many pills to take a day and how many times a day
What is computational health numeracy?
Understanding food labels and how it affects health
Example of computational health numeracy?
managing nutritional intake by tracking calories or macronutrients
What is analytical health numeracy?
Assessing risk factors associated with health conditions and the impact of lifestyle choices on health outcomes
Example of analytical health numeracy?
What ae the effects of high cholesterol
Compare insurance/benefits
What is statistical health numeracy?
understanding health related statistics
Example of statistical health numeracy?
Mortality rates
Probabilities
What are red flags for low literacy?
Missed appointments
Incomplete forms
Non-compliance with medication
unable to name meds, dose or purpose
identifies pills by appearance not reading the label
Asks less questions
Lack of follow through on tests or referrals
What are the 3 common assessment tests to measure health literacy?
REALM (Rapid estimate of Adult literacy in medicine)
NVS (Newest vital sign)
TOFHLA (Test of functional health literacy in adults)
What is the REALM test?
Gives list of medical words to person being assessed and they have to read aloud as many words as possible. Words increase in difficulty. Determines persons comprehension to medical terms
What is the NVS test?
Presents a nutrition label to a person and they are asked a series of questions based off the label’s information
What is the TOFHLA test?
reading comprehension part tests persons ability to read and understand written health information.
Also tests person’s numerical ability in health-related contexts. (e.g dosage instructions)
What are the 2 health literacy strategies?
Teach back
Ask me 3
What is the teach back method?
Confirms understanding by getting patient to teach back the information they received from the HCP
HCP uses plain language and less details
What is the Ask me 3 method?
3 questions
1. What is my main problem?
2. What do I need to do?
3. Why is it important for me to do this?
