1. 5/23/2010
Improving Health Literacy
through
Clear Communication
___________________
Manisha H. Maskay, Ph.D.
Kim Whatley, B.A.
17th TEXAS HIV/STD CONFERENCE
May 25, 2010
Health Literacy:
The degree to which individuals have the
capacity to obtain, process and understand
basic health information and services
needed to make appropriate health
decisions.
- Healthy People 2010
Health Literacy impacts
-Health Promotion
-Health Protection
-Disease Prevention
-Health Care and Health Maintenance
-Navigation
Literacy and Health in America, ETS 2004
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2. 5/23/2010
Challenges …
• 93 million or 47 % of U.S. adults perform at
the lowest level of literacy (NALS 2003)
• 19 % of US adults had skills at the lowest
level of the Health Activity Literacy Scale
(HALS 2003)
- Approx ½ of those 65 + scored at the lowest levels
Challenges contd …
• Health care relies heavily on the written
and spoken word to communicate
information.
• Health care consumers must “read to do”.
• Health materials are written at reading
grade levels that far exceed the average
reading skills of high school graduates.
• Health professionals do not use language
which is easy to understand.
Source:
Health Literacy - A Prescription to End Confusion, Institute of Medicine, 2004
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3. 5/23/2010
Effective Communication
– a tool to improve health literacy
Audience
Receipt Message
Delivery Messenger
Enhance Communication!
Explain Context
Categorize
Illustrate and Demonstrate
Show Empathy
- Be respectful
- Address embarrassment
- Invite interaction
- Promote self efficacy
- Pay attention
- Slow down
Enhance Communication!
Use plain language - fancy words do not help
- logical order
- clear
- active voice
- everyday language/common words
- short words/short sentences
- explain hard words
- no jargon
Stay focused and on message
- key points
- begin and end with most important
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4. 5/23/2010
Message and communication effectiveness:
• Message
- Client focused?
- Relevance?
- Accuracy ?
- Clarity?
- Client feedback?
Message & communication effectiveness:
• Written
- Accuracy
- R d bilit
Readability
- Organization
- Appearance
print – font size, color
background – color, white space
- Suitability for audience
Message & communication effectiveness
• Verbal
- Accuracy
- Clarity
- Organization
- Suitability for audience
- Credibility of person delivering message
- Delivery
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5. 5/23/2010
Subject to interpretation?
- Practice safe sex
- Use protection
- Avoid drugs
- Know your status
Subject to interpretation?
- Practice safe sex
- Use protection
- Avoid drugs
- Know your status
Subject to interpretation?
- Practice safe sex
- Use protection
- Avoid drugs
- Know your status
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6. 5/23/2010
Subject to interpretation?
- Practice safe sex
- Use protection
- Avoid drugs
- Know your status
Subject to interpretation?
- Drink plenty of water
- Eat a low sodium diet
- Eat plenty of fiber
- Get plenty of exercise
Subject to interpretation?
- Drink plenty of water
- Eat a low sodium diet
- Eat plenty of fiber
- Get plenty of exercise
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7. 5/23/2010
Subject to interpretation?
- Drink plenty of water
- Eat a low sodium diet
- Eat plenty of fiber
- Get plenty of exercise
Subject to interpretation?
- Drink plenty of water
- Eat a low sodium diet
- Eat plenty of fiber
- Get plenty of exercise
Subject to interpretation?
- Apply locally
- It may have adverse effects
- Take on an empty stomach
- Take as needed
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8. 5/23/2010
Subject to interpretation?
- Apply locally
- It may have adverse effects
- Take on an empty stomach
- Take as needed
Subject to interpretation?
- Apply locally
- It may have adverse effects
- Take on an empty stomach
- Take as needed
Subject to interpretation?
- Apply locally
- It may have adverse effects
- Take on an empty stomach
- Take as needed
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9. 5/23/2010
Why do we care?
… Health Literacy is essential to the
prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS!
Persons Living with HIV/AIDS in Texas
Total 63,109 100 %
Status HIV 26,827 43 %
AIDS 36,191 57 %
Gender Male 49,224 78 %
Female 13,795 22 %
Race/ White 22,405 36 %
Ethnicity Black 23,986 38 %
Hispanic 15,906 25 %
Asian‐Pacific islander 531 …
American Indian ‐Alaskan Native
American Indian Alaskan Nati e 105 …
Multi‐racial/Not Specified 87 …
Age Under 2 24 …
2‐12 242 …
13‐24 2,787 4 %
25‐44 31,960 51 %
45+ 28,007 45 %
Mode of MSM 33,914 54 %
Transmission IDU 9,631 15 %
MSM/IDU. 4,516 7 %
Heterosexual 14,066 22 %
Perinatal/Other 530/363 1 %
Adapted from: Texas Dept of State Health Services 2010 TX Integrated Epidemiologic Profile for HIV/AIDS Prevention
and Services Planning, April 2010.
Tailor messages to specific needs:
Assess whether messages
- Resonate with, engage, and meet the needs of your
audience?
di ?
- Communicate key information?
- Achieve the desired effect?
- improved understanding and knowledge
- change in attitude
- change in behavior
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10. 5/23/2010
Tailor your message . . .
Tailor your message . . .
Tailor your message . . .
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11. 5/23/2010
Tailor your message . . .
We must improve health literacy to enable
our community
- to understand,
- to learn, and
learn
- to do
…what is necessary to be healthy and safe!
Understanding is a two-way street …
Eleanor Roosevelt
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12. 5/23/2010
Lets all try harder to communicate
more effectively …
Thank you for your time today!
Helpful Resources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Marketing and
Communications Strategy Branch. (2009). What We Know
About Health Literacy. www.cdc.gov/healthmarketing/
resources.htm Accessed April 12, 2010.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Literacy for
C f Di C l dP i H l h Li f
Public Health Professionals Course.
www2a.cdc.gov/TCEOnline/registration/detailpage.asp?res_id=
2074 Accessed April 12, 2010.
Doak CC, Doak LG, Root JH. Teaching Patients with Low
Literacy Skills. 2nd Edition. 1996.
www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy/resources/doak-
book/index.html Accessed May 23, 2010.
Helpful Resources (contd):
Institute of Medicine. (2004). Health Literacy: A Prescription to
End Confusion. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Kutner, M., Greenberg, E., Jin,Y., and Paulsen, C. (2006). The
Health Literacy of America’s Adults: Results From the 2003
National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NCES 2006–483). U S
N ti lA t f Ad lt Lit 2006 483) U.S.
Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for
Education Statistics.
National Cancer Institute. (2008). Making Health Communication
Programs Work. U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services.
www.cancer.gov/pinkbook Accessed May 23, 2010.
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13. 5/23/2010
Helpful Resources (contd):
National Cancer Institute. (1994; revised 2003). Clear & Simple:
Developing Effective Print Materials for Low-Literate Readers.
U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services. 1994; revised 2003
www.cancer.gov/aboutnci/oc/clear-and-simple Accessed May
23, 2010.
23 2010
Rudd RE, Kirsch I, Yamamoto K. Literacy and Health in
America. ETS Policy Report #19. Princeton NJ: Educational
Testing Services. 2004.
www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/PICHEATH.pdf Accessed
May 23, 2010.
Multimedia
American Medical Association. Health Literacy Educational Kit
2007.
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