Poster Presentation
Water's Edge Ballroom (Hilton Waikoloa Village)
Friday, July 15, 2005
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Water's Edge Ballroom (Hilton Waikoloa Village)
Friday, July 15, 2005
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Health Literacy, Health Information Preferences, and Adherence in Vulnerable Groups
A. Renee Leasure, PhD, RN, CCRN, College of Nursing, Academic Programs, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA, Dorothy C. Belknap, PhD, ARNP, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, OK, USA, Mary Ann Pascucci, APRN, PhD, College of Nursing, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK, USA, and Elsia Kodumthara, BSN, MSN, LSU, VAMC, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
| Learning Objective #1: Differentiate between work recognition and comprehension in measuring health literacy |
| Learning Objective #2: Describe strategies used to increase adherence to treatment recommendations |
Low and limited health literacy has been linked to poorer self-management of chronic diseases, less healthy behaviors, higher rates of hospitalization, and overall poorer health. Subjects were drawn from a Veteran's Affairs Medical Center outpatient clinic setting and participated in face-to-face interviews which lasted approximately one and one-half hour. 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 was measured using the TOFHLA which measures reading comprehension and numeracy. Of the fifty-five subjects, 75% demonstrated adequate health literacy, 16% marginal, and 9% inadequate health literacy. Older participants had lower levels of health literacy (r=-.39, p=.002). Higher levels of health literacy were associated with more years of formal education (r=.343), p=.006). Participants with marginal and inadequate levels of health literacy were prescribed an average of 8 routine medications as compared to an average of 6 for those with adequate levels of health literacy. Higher health literacy scores were associated with higher levels of medication compliance. Results of interviews indicated the most frequent reason for missing a dose of medication was “I just forgot”. Several instances were shared where participants purposefully cut back or stopped taking a dose of medication. Reports included, “the Lisinopril made me feel fatigued so I quit taking it” and “I go ahead and finish the prescription I have before I make the change”. Homeless informant's devised complex plans to receive their medicines, protect medicines from theft, and developed strategies to take medications as prescribed. Adhering to a health diet was considered to be more expensive, more difficult to follow, and extra effort to prepare. While lack of motivation was cited as a reason for not exercising, feelings of deprivation were cited as the reason for not following dietary recommendations.