Health literacy, the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand health information and services needed to make health decisions, is an essential element for early adults (aged 18-44 years) to make informed decisions about cancer. Low health literacy is one of the social determinants of health associated with cancer-related disparities. Over the past several years, a nonprofit organization, a university, and a cancer center in a major urban environment have developed and implemented health literacy programs within healthcare systems and in the community. Health system personnel received extensive health literacy training to reduce medical jargon and improve their patient education using plain language easy-to-understand written materials and teach-back, and also designed plain language written materials including visuals to provide more culturally and linguistically appropriate health education and enhance web-based information. Several sustainable health system policy changes occurred over time. At the community level, organizational assessments and peer leader training on health literacy have occurred to reduce communication barriers between consumers and providers. Some of these programs have been cancer specific, including consumer education in such areas as cervical cancer, skin cancer, and breast cancer that are targeted to early adults across the cancer spectrum from prevention to treatment to survivorship. An example of consumer-driven health education that was tested for health literacy using a comic book-style photonovel on breast cancer with an intergenerational family approach for Chinese Americans is provided. Key lessons learned from the health literacy initiatives and overall conclusions of the health literacy initiatives are also summarized.

High attrition often limits the efficacy of weight management programs, particularly those that serve primary care patients. We investigated stage of change and other predictors of retention in a behavioral intervention program that enrolled adult obese patients at three primary care sites. The program included practice improvements and provider training, as well as individual lifestyle counseling and educational group classes for participants. We analyzed predictors of whether participants returned for counseling visits and whether they attended group classes. The 461 participants were mainly women (84%) and minorities (87%), and most of them were in the preparation stage for dietary and physical activity changes. A total of 134 (29%) participants returned for at least one follow-up visit with their counselor and 85 (18%) attended at least one class. Baseline stage of change was not significantly associated with either return visits or class attendance (p = .875 and .182, respectively). Men and participants with children in the household were less likely to return for subsequent counseling sessions (p = .012 and .027, respectively). Age and employment were associated with class attendance (p = .099 and .034, respectively). Focus groups with participants confirmed that reasons for dropout included physical limitations or health issues, family issues, stress, and lack of social support. We conclude that prescreening of patients for readiness to participate and attention to personal barriers related to family and work might improve program retention. More frequent contacts between visits and stronger provider engagement might also strengthen the intervention.

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BackgroundUrban centers in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as Kumasi, Ghana, are especially impacted by the dual burden of infectious and non-communicable disease (NCD), including a rise in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prevalence. To develop effective intervention programs, the World Health Organization recommends more research to better understand the relationship between food consumption and the escalation of non-communicable disease such as T2DM. This study provides qualitative information about current food knowledge, attitudes and practices among T2DM patients and their caregivers in the region of Kumasi, Ghana.MethodsIn this qualitative study, three focus groups discussions of 30 persons total and 10 individual interviews were used to assess food preferences, knowledge, attitudes and practices of patients with T2DM as well as caregivers responsible for food preparation. Participants included both urban and rural dwellers. Hospital-based health talks were observed, a dietician was interviewed, and educational documents were collected. Themes were identified and coded using Nvivo10 software.ResultsFindings suggest that messages regarding sweetened foods, fats, use of seasonings and meal timing are followed. However, confusion exists regarding the impact of fruits, food portioning, plantains and processed foods on health outcomes for diabetic patients. Results also revealed a problem-solving approach to increasing vegetable consumption, and a concern about unhealthy food preferences among younger generations.ConclusionsEducation about the impact of commonly available carbohydrates on blood sugar should be emphasized; messaging on portion sizes and certain foods should be more consistent; the economic benefits of local vegetable consumption should be promoted; and a research-informed, T2DM prevention campaign should be developed specifically for younger generations.