6,010 research outputs found
The evolving concept of health literacy
No full textThe relationship between poor literacy skills and health status is now well recognized and better understood. Interest in this relationship has led to the emergence of the concept of health literacy. The concept has emerged from two different roots – in clinical care and in public health. This paper describes the two distinctive concepts that reflect health literacy, respectively, as a clinical “risk”, or a personal “asset”. In the former case a strong science is developing to support screening for poor literacy skills in clinical care and this is leading to a range of changes to clinical practice and organization. The conceptualization of health literacy as an asset has its roots in educational research into literacy, concepts of adult learning, and health promotion. The science to support this conceptualization is less well developed and is focused on the development of skills and capacities intended to enable people to exert greater control over their health and the factors that shape health.The paper concludes that both conceptualizations are important and are helping to stimulate a more sophisticated understanding of the process of health communication in both clinical and community settings, as well as highlighting factors impacting on its effectiveness. These include more personal forms of communication and community based educational outreach. It recommends improved interaction between researchers working within the two health literacy perspectives, and further research on the measurement of health literacy. The paper also emphasizes the importance of more general strategies to promote literacy, numeracy and language skills in populations
Building health literacy in Australia
No full textTo empower patients, we need to apply the knowledge gained from research
The development of smoking behaviour among schoolchildren : with special reference to school effects and transfer to secondary education
No full textSmoking remains the most important cause of preventable death and ill-health in Britain. It is a behaviour which has its roots in childhood and adolescence and working with children in schools offers great scope for effective action to reduce smoking prevalence. This study examines the development of smoking behaviour across a critical period of transition between primary and secondary education, and identifies some of the important influences on the development of the habit. The study comprises of three linked elements. The first consists of results from a questionnaire survey of 4000 schoolchildren from three different school systems. These show the apparent impact of transfer to secondary education on the development of the habit, indicating that the secondary school experience may have an effect on smoking behaviour independent of age and other important influences. A second, parallel questionnaire survey of teachers' smoking behaviour and attitudes to smoking provides evidence of a more relaxed attitude towards smoking in secondary schools which may help to explain the observations from the children's survey. The third element, a series of semi-structured interviews with fifty of the pupils from the original survey, examined children's opinions on smoking. These interviews provided important insight into children's smoking behaviour, indicating that many of the factors which influence children, such as social pressures and low self esteem, can be addressed through school education. From these results a model for smoking education in schools is proposed. This emphasises the need for a phasing of smoking education throughout primary and secondary school - the timing of various elements determined by critical stages in the development of the habit. The need to focus on personal and social skill development as well as knowledge-based programmes is also stressed. Finally, the need for improved in-service education, and additional resources for health education are considered, together with the type of practical support required from Local Education Authorities, and individual schools and teachers. (DX83502)</p
Using health literacy communication skills with service users
No full textHealth literacy is the context and ‘skills necessary for an individual to use and understand health information’(Nutbeam 1998). Low health literacy is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, both individuals with low and adequate health literacy levels have reported difficulties understanding health information (Shaw et al. 2009). Research demonstrates that printed healthcare materials and patient-provider interaction is not always meeting the health literacy needs of individuals.This workshop will begin by describing an overview of current research in the health literacy area. This will also include the presenter’s own work exploring health literacy in the context of falls prevention (Brooks et al. 2012). Methods of determining the level of literacy required to read information will be described, and participants will be invited to evaluate, in pairs, examples of printed service user healthcare materials. Feedback will be shared with the group, and the implications of lower health literacy for communication in practice will be discussed. Participants will also be asked to take part in a role play activity, focussing on verbal communication strategies to enhance service users’ understanding. Finally, best practice guidance will be shared with workshop participants. Occupational therapists are in an excellent position to meet the communication and information needs, and enhance the health literacy skills of service users. This workshop will improve communication and practice delivery; particularly with older people. The content and format of this workshop have been developed in collaboration with an older carer of a regular health service user
What influences the transfer of research into health policy and practice? Observations from England and Australia
No full textObjectives: To explore the role of evidence in the public health policy-making process, and show how the way in which public health problems are defined and measured influences policy outcomes.Methods: The policy responses of the Blair Labour Government in the UK and the Howard Coalition Government in Australia to persistent health inequalities over the last decade are examined as a case study.Results: Soon after being elected, the Blair Government commissioned an independent inquiry into health inequalities, signalling the priority it gave to addressing this longstanding challenge. It chose to take a ‘whole-of-government’ approach, combining actions that addressed both personal risk factors and the social determinants of health. This approach reflects the long-established tradition in England of routinely measuring disparities in health outcomes and correlating them with socio-economic status and underlying social determinants of health. Over the same period, the Howard Government also outlined its ‘whole-of-government’ approach to addressing the most extreme and persistent health inequalities between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. In contrast, its approach focused primarily on modifying risk factors and improving service provision. This approach reflects the different historical circumstances in Australia and a different tradition in the collection of health data, focused more on health service access and personal risk factors.Conclusions: This case study offers some insight into the ways in which the production and presentation of evidence can influence and shape governmental responses to public health problems. The usefulness of available evidence is dependent upon the type of data that is produced routinely by government, as well as more deliberate decisions concerning public health research funding. Researchers can maximize the influence of research evidence on the policy process by engaging in the policy-making process, presenting research in ways that fit with the political context of the day, and, where necessary, using research evidence in public health advocacy in order to influence political priorities more directly
Life is too short to be serious all the time: Donald Duck presents unconventional motivations for publishing in academia
No full textIn this food for thought article, we introduce the ‘Donald Duck Phenomenon’ to consider ten unconventional reasons for publishing in academia. These include (i) symbolic immortality, (ii) personal satisfaction, (iii) a sense of pride, (iv) serious leisure, (v) cause credibility, (vi) altruism, (vii) collaboration with a friend or family member, (viii) collaboration with a hero, (ix) conflict or revenge, and (x) for amusement. The article was inspired by the lead author’s social media search for a co-author with the surname ‘Duck’. Through LinkedIn, the lead author, Associate Professor William E. Donald, who is based in the UK and specialises in Sustainable Careers and Human Resource Management, found a collaborator, Dr Nicholas Duck, based in Australia and specialises in Organisational Psychology. While the collaboration may appear somewhat ‘quackers’, per one of Donald Duck’s famous phrases, “Life is too short to be serious all the time, so if you can’t laugh at yourself then call me… I’ll laugh at you, for you”. We hope that this article offers some interesting insights, particularly for academics at the start of their scholarly journey, and acts as a way to stimulate conversation around unconventional reasons for publishing in academia
Nursing and allied health professionals’ views about using health literacy screening tools and a universal precautions approach to communication with older adults: a qualitative study
No full textPurpose: Health literacy describes individuals’ abilities to access, understand and use health information. Lower health literacy is associated with poor health outcomes, is more common among older adults and impacts on the effectiveness of rehabilitation/self-management interventions. This research explored nursing and allied healthcare professionals’ views about identifying and responding to older adults’ health literacy needs.Methods: Qualitative focus groups were conducted with a purposive sample of 22 UK nursing and AHPs working with older adults. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using framework approach. Results: Participants used a variety of practices to identify older patients’ health literacy levels, but primarily relied on subtle cues. Participants lacked knowledge and confidence in identifying and addressing health literacy needs. Participants expressed concerns about patient reactions and described practical barriers to using recommended health literacy strategies.Conclusions: Participants recognised the importance of addressing patients’ health literacy needs, but do not routinely use health literacy strategies, lack confidence and have reservations about recommended health literacy strategies. This impacts on healthcare professionals’ abilities to support patients to self-manage and participate in rehabilitation. Health literacy education for health professionals should consider barriers to using health literacy strategies and be tailored to accommodate variation in teams and professions
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