Low Health Literacy and Its Effects on Patient Care

Sharing Health Information and Influencing Behavioral Intentions: The Role of Health Literacy, Information Overload, and the Internet in the Diffusion of Healthy Heart Information

“…Furthermore, when an information sharer acquires new information that matches the information needs of others, the sharer can pass along the new information to the target (Rioux, 2005). Individuals with low levels of health literacy (Framton & Vance, 2003;Mayer & Villaire, 2004) consider family members their preferred source when seeking health-related information (Longo et al, 2010). Given the role of family members and friends in the exchange of health information, close interpersonal networks can play a vital role in the distribution of health information.…”

The Case for Development of a New Test of Health Literacy

“…Unfortunately, even though the NALS report is cited frequently in medical literature, reading assessment is not standard in health care. Most practitioners spend time teaching one on one, but that may not be enough to ensure that patients receive, understand, and retain the information provided (Mayer & Villaire, 2004;Schillinger, Bindman, Wang, Stewart, & Piette, 2004). Patients with low literacy skills often have less knowledge about their diseases (Gazmararian, Williams, Peel, & Baker, 2003;Mayer & Villaire;Williams et al, 1998), and they may not remember complex health messages This material is protected by U.S. copyright law.…”

“…Therefore, a wide gap exists between the reading level of each passage-6.1 between passages 1 and 2 and 9.1 between passages 2 and 3, which could mean that the instrument is not sensitive enough to assess comprehension at other levels, especially the middle grades (5-8). Most patient educators now recommend that printed materials should be aimed no higher than grade 8 or grade 9 levels, certainly not at the graduate school level represented by 19.5 (Mayer & Villaire, 2004;Wilson, Baker, Brown-Syed, & Gollop, 2000;Wilson & Williams, 2003). Third, the content of the passages is limited to a narrow range of topics.…”

Community perceptions and utilization of a consumer health center

“…Although most health literacy studies conducted by and for nurses have focused primarily on raising awareness, several discussion papers offer insights on how nurses can be involved in more tangible change through materials design (Horner, Surratt, & Juliusson, 2000;Ross, Potter, & Armstrong, 2004) and intervention development (Evers, 2001;Mayer & Villaire, 2004;Wydra, 2001). Given the enormous growth of literature on nursing and health literacy, it is expected that this field will continue to be a major contributor to health literacy and will play an increasingly critical role in translating health literacy research into practice.…”