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Objective To document disparities in registration and use of an online patient portal among older adults.Materials and methods Data from 534 older adults were linked with information from the Northwestern Medicine Electronic Data Warehouse on patient portal registration and use of functions (secure messaging, prescription reauthorizations, checking test results, and monitoring vital statistics). Age, gender, race, education, self-reported chronic conditions, and the Newest Vital Sign health literacy measure were available from cohort data.Results Most patients (93.4%) had a patient portal access code generated for them, and among these 57.5% registered their accounts. In multivariable analyses, White patients (P < .001) and college graduates were more likely to have registered their patient portal (P = .015). Patients with marginal (P = .034) or adequate (P < .001) health literacy were also more likely to have registered their patient portal. Among those registering their accounts, most had messaged their physician (90%), checked a test result (96%), and ordered a reauthorization (55%), but few monitored their vital statistics (11%). Adequate health literacy patients were more likely to have used the messaging function (P = .003) and White patients were more likely to have accessed test results (P = .004). Higher education was consistently associated with prescription reauthorization requests (all P < .05).Discussion Among older American adults, there are stark health literacy, educational, and racial disparities in the registration, and subsequent use of an online patient portal. These population sub-group differences may exacerbate existing health disparities.Conclusions If patient portals are implemented, intervention strategies are needed to monitor and reduce disparities in their use.

Health literacy plays an important role in reproductive knowledge and may impact behaviors and outcomes. While further research is necessary, healthcare providers should utilize health literacy best practices now to promote high-quality care for patients.

Objective To investigate whether previously noted associations between health literacy and functional health status might be explained by cognitive function. Data Sources/Study Setting Health Literacy and Cognition in Older Adults (‘LitCog’, prospective study funded by National Institute on Aging). Data presented are from interviews conducted among 784 adults, ages 55–74 receiving care at an academic general medicine clinic or one of four federally-qualified health centers in Chicago from 2008–2010. Study Design Study participants completed structured, in-person interviews administered by trained research assistants. Data collection Health literacy was measured using the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA), Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), and Newest Vital Sign (NVS). Cognitive function was assessed using measures of long-term and working memory, processing speed, reasoning and verbal ability. Functional health was assessed with SF-36 physical health summary scale and Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) short form subscales for depression and anxiety. Principal Findings All health literacy measures were significantly correlated with all cognitive domains. In multivariable analyses, inadequate health literacy was associated with worse physical health and more depressive symptoms. After adjusting for cognitive abilities, associations between health literacy, physical health and depressive symptoms were attenuated and no longer significant. Conclusions Cognitive function explains a significant proportion of the associations between health literacy, physical health and depression among older adults. Interventions to reduce literacy disparities in healthcare should minimize the cognitive burden in behaviors patients must adopt to manage personal health.

Background Age and race-related disparities in technology use have been well documented, but less is known about how health literacy influences technology access and use. Objective To assess the association between patients’ literacy skills and mobile phone ownership, use of text messaging, internet access, and use of the internet for health-related purposes. Methods A secondary analysis utilizing data from 1,077 primary care patients enrolled in two, multi-site studies from 2011–2013. Patients were administered an in-person, structured interview. Results Patients with adequate health literacy were more likely to own a mobile phone or smartphone in comparison to patients with low or marginal literacy (mobile phone ownership: 96.8% vs. 95.2% vs. 90.1%, respectively, p<.001; smartphone ownership: 70.6% vs. 62.5% vs. 40.1%, p<.001) and to report text messaging (78.6% vs. 75.2% vs. 53.1%, p<.001). They were also more likely to have access to the internet from their home (92.1% vs. 74.7% vs. 44.9%, p<.001) and to report using the internet for email (93.0% vs. 75.7% vs. 38.5%, p<.001), browsing the web (93.9% vs. 80.2% vs. 44.5%, p<.001), accessing health information (86.3% vs. 75.5% vs. 40.8%, p<.001), and communicating with providers (54.2% vs. 29.8% vs. 13.0%, p<.001). Relationships remained significant in multivariable analyses controlling for relevant covariates. Conclusions Results reveal that literacy-related disparities in technology access and use are widespread, with lower literate patients being less likely to own smartphones or to access and use the internet, particularly for health reasons. Future interventions should consider these disparities and ensure that health promotion activities do not further exacerbate disparities.

Almost half of patients with COPD do not adhere to their medications. Illness and medication beliefs are important determinants of adherence in other chronic diseases. Using the framework of the Common Sense Model of Self Regulation (CSM), we determined associations between potentially modifiable beliefs and adherence to COPD medications in a cohort of English- and Spanish-speaking adults with COPD from New York and Chicago. Medication adherence was assessed using the Medication Adherence Report Scale. Illness and medication beliefs along CSM domains were evaluated using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) and the Beliefs about Medications Questionnaire (BMQ). Unadjusted analysis (with Cohen’s d effect sizes) and multiple logistic regression were used to assess the relationship between illness and medication beliefs with adherence. The study included 188 participants (47% Black, 13% Hispanics); 109 (58%) were adherent. Non-adherent participants were younger (p<0.001), more likely to be Black or Hispanic (p=0.001), to have reported low income (p=0.02), and had fewer years of formal education (p=0.002). In unadjusted comparisons, non-adherent participants reported being more concerned about their COPD (p=0.011; Cohen’s d=0.43), more emotionally affected by the disease (p=0.001; Cohen’s d=0.54), and had greater concerns about COPD medications (p<0.001, Cohen’s d=0.81). In adjusted analyses, concerns about COPD medications independently predicted non-adherence (odds ratio: 0.52, 95% confidence interval: 0.36–0.75). In this cohort of urban minority adults, concerns about medications were associated with non-adherence. Future work should explore interventions to influence patient adherence by addressing concerns about the safety profile and long-term effects of COPD medications.

BackgroundLow health literacy is associated with low adherence to self-management in many chronic diseases. Additionally, health beliefs are thought to be determinants of self-management behaviors. In this study we sought to determine the association, if any, of health literacy and health beliefs among elderly individuals with COPD.MethodsWe enrolled a cohort of patients with COPD from two academic urban settings in New York, NY and Chicago, IL. Health literacy was measured using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Using the framework of the Self-Regulation Model, illness and medication beliefs were measured with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) and Beliefs about Medications Questionnaire (BMQ). Unadjusted analyses, with corresponding Cohen’s d effect sizes, and multiple logistic regression were used to assess the relationships between HL and illness and medication beliefs.ResultsWe enrolled 235 participants, 29% of whom had low health literacy. Patients with low health literacy were more likely to belong to a racial minority group (p<0.001), not be married (p = 0.006), and to have lower income (p<0.001) or education (p<0.001). In unadjusted analyses, patients with low health literacy were less likely to believe they will always have COPD (p = 0.003, Cohen’s d = 0.42), and were more likely to be concerned about their illness ((p = 0.04, Cohen’s d = 0.17). In analyses adjusted for sociodemographic factors and other health beliefs, patients with low health literacy were less likely to believe that they will always have COPD (odds ratio [OR]: 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65–0.94). In addition, the association of low health literacy with expressed concern about medications remained significant (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.05–1.37) though the association of low health literacy with belief in the necessity of medications was no longer significant (OR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.82–1.04).ConclusionsIn this cohort of urban individuals with COPD, low health literacy was prevalent, and associated with illness beliefs that predict decreased adherence. Our results suggest that targeted strategies to address low health literacy and related illness and medications beliefs might improve COPD medication adherence and other self-management behaviors.

The CHAI appears to be a valid, reliable, and easily administered tool that can be used to assess health activation among adults, including those with limited health literacy. Future studies should test the tool in actual use and explore further applications.