A Pilot Investigation Into the Readability of Sesotho Health Information Pamphlets

Background Research shows that poor health literacy (HL) can be a threat to health and health care. Health literacy is under-researched and poorly understood in developing countries, including South Africa, because of the absence of language and context-specific HL tests. Aim The researchers aimed to develop an appropriate HL test for use among South African public health service users with Sesotho as their first language. Setting The test was developed in the Free State Province of South Africa, for use among Sesotho speakers. Methods Mixed methods were employed to develop the Sesotho Health Literacy Test (SHLT). The process of developing the test was carried out in distinctive methodological steps. Results The stepwise process set out by identifying abstracts ( n = 206) referring to HL tests. Sourcing of HL tests followed a tapered process resulting in the use of 17 HL tests. Elements within a conceptual framework guided HL test item selection ( n = 47). Two Delphi sessions assisted in reaching consensus regarding final HL test items ( n = 40). The readability testing of the SHLT tested 4.19 on the Coleman–Liau Index score. A context-suitable and comprehensive SHLT ensued from this work. Conclusion The SHLT assessment instrument development creates a platform for HL testing among Sesotho first language speakers in South Africa. The context-sensitive methodology is entrenched in a theoretical framework, distributing HL test items between identified competencies and related skill dimensions and domains. The methodology can be applied to the development of HL tests for other languages and population groups in developing countries. Keywords health literacy assessment; primary health care; South Africa; developing countries; public health service; context-sensitive assessment.

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“…The Coleman–Liau index score was 4.19, indicating that the test was suitable for Grade 4 reading level. 47…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Sesotho health literacy test in a South African context

Reid

Nel

Rensburg-Bonthuyzen

2019

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

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“…Common to low-and middle-income countries is a higher readability level of printed media when compared with the literacy level of its intended participants. Readability of the printed media is associated with the level of comprehension, influenced by the language used to communicate health information (Krige & Reid 2017). The South African context compounds this non-alignment between the readability level of printed media, the heterogeneity of the population and the literacy level of patients, as patients with diabetes are usually older, underprivileged and of poor education levels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This health information is communicated, on one hand, at patient waiting and consultation rooms enshrined in the concept of health education, while, on the other hand, health information may be communicated in the streets through health campaigns. Electronic and print media in the form of the radio, television and pamphlets are also used to present diabetes-related health information (Krige & Reid 2017). Such information is communicated within a short period of time and may not be tailor-made for specific individuals.…”

Section: The Context Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of patients regarding diabetes-related health communication strategies in the Free State, South Africa

Nyoni¹,

Reid

2019

Health SA Gesondheid

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Background: This study researched the perceptions of patients diagnosed with diabetes concerning diabetes-related health communication strategies in the Free State province in South Africa. The prolongation and quality of life of patients diagnosed with diabetes are affected by lifestyle choices. An enabler of risk reduction is health communication which informs, influences and motivates individuals to adopted health-focused lifestyles.Aim: This study sought to describe the perceptions of patients regarding diabetes-related health communication strategies in the Free State, South Africa.Setting: This study was carried out in primary health care centres and community health care centres within the Free State province in South Africa.Methods: A qualitative, descriptive and exploratory research design was used in this study. Thirty-four patients diagnosed with type two diabetes for at least a year were purposively included in this study. Semi-structured interviews in Afrikaans, English, Sotho and Xhosa were conducted. Data analysis was through inductive reasoning and thematic analysis.Results: The majority of the respondents were older women having been diagnosed with diabetes for more than 5 years, with at least primary school education and of diverse South African ethnicities. The main prompting questions operationalised the term ‘perception’, probing their feelings, experiences and knowledge of health-related communication strategies as presented by a variety of information sources. After recording interviews, data were analysed according to themes, categories and sub-categories.Conclusions: The study highlights factors that encourage patients to seek help and foster attitudes of compliance. Practical problems regarding the management of diabetes are underlined. The role of family, as well as the patient–caregiver relationship, in the acceptance and management of the disease is revealed. Societal perception of male symptomology is shown. The study offers information to stakeholders and health care workers for continued successful management of diabetes in communities.

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“…A few studies have assessed the readability of Sesotho texts using English readability metrics. For instance, Krige and Reid (2017) manually extracted textual properties used in classical readability metrics to investigate the readability of Sesotho health pamphlets. In another study, Reid et al (2019) developed a Sesotho health literacy test.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Corpus-Based List of Frequently Used Words in Sesotho

Sibeko,

De Clercq

2023

Proceedings of the Fourth Workshop on Resources for African Indigenous Languages (RAIL 2023)

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This article describes the development of a list of frequently used words in written Sesotho. The list has been created with the aim of incorporating it into frequency-based text readability metrics. The list was derived using a corpus-based approach. By leveraging three existing Sesotho corpora, frequency lists could be derived, which were subsequently merged and qualitatively analysed and fine-tuned by an experienced speaker of Sesotho. The main challenges in compiling the list included reconciling the spelling variations, the treatment of abbreviations, and the presence of unexpected words in the preliminary lists. The final list comprises 3037 entries and is made publicly available to the research community.

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A Pilot Investigation Into the Readability of Sesotho Health Information Pamphlets

Abstract: Printed patient health communication in South

Cited by 5 publications

References 14 publications

Development of a Sesotho health literacy test in a South African context

Development of a Sesotho health literacy test in a South African context

Perceptions of patients regarding diabetes-related health communication strategies in the Free State, South Africa

A Corpus-Based List of Frequently Used Words in Sesotho

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