Return-Path: <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov>
Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id g1QKhOu17104; Tue, 26 Feb 2002 15:43:24 -0500 (EST)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 15:43:24 -0500 (EST)
Message-Id: <E1BF501B4C3AD511954D00508BB8E35F01984EF6@ophs1.ophs.gov>
Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov
Reply-To: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov
Originator: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov
Sender: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov
Precedence: bulk
From: "Baur, Cynthia" <CBaur@OSOPHS.DHHS.GOV>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3588] RE: Health and Numeracy skills
X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas
Content-Type: text/plain;
X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19)
Status: O
Content-Length: 3004
Lines: 80
Nancy,
I don't have information to answer your question yet, although I hope after
the 2002 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is fielded later this
year, we will have some initial answers. As some members of the listserv
know, Healthy People 2010, the nation's decade-long health prevention
agenda, includes a national objective to improve health literacy. As a
result, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which
sponsors HP2010, has worked with the U.S. Department of Education to add a
health literacy component to the 2002 NAAL. The health literacy questions
will fit the overall NAAL schema of assessing prose, document and
quantitative skills. We are working now on how the data can best be reported
to be of use to the field.
For those specifically interested in the nutrition food label, which is a
great example, as you can imagine there has been a lot of research on the
label. The FDA has a Consumer Studies Branch that has conducted a lot of
this work. Alan Levy who directs this research has published numerous
articles. He published one article that might be of particular interest,
"Consumers' ability to perform tasks using nutrition labels," in the Journal
of Nutrition Education, v.30, n4 (1998). As far as I know, though, literacy
skills have not been one of the factors assessed in this line of research.
We are trying to raise the profile of literacy and health literacy issues
throughout HHS.
Also, as you may recall, the TOFHLA (Test of Functional Health Literacy in
Adults) has some numeracy assessments, and Ruth Parker and Mark Williams
have published widely on the findings.
Hope this helps.
Cynthia Baur, Ph.D.
Health Communication and e-Health Advisor
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Ave, S.W. Rm 738G
Washington, D.C. 20201
202-205-2311 (t)
202-205-0463 (f)
cbaur@osophs.dhhs.gov
-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy Gonzalez-Caro [mailto:GONN@etr.org]
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 2:14 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3587] Health and Numeracy skills
I'd like pose a question to the list related to numeracy and health issues.
What are the implications and possible solutions when looking at the issues
of numeracy. Let me pose an example. Perhaps you have more.
For example,
Using a nutrition facts label. The label offers a lot of information that
may be confusing even to those of us with education and experience.
It requires skills to be able to compare the food labels and choose the one
lowest in fat, calories, or sodium. Comparing the serving sizes and all.
So what are the pitfalls, where would adult learners have trouble
understanding the nutrition facts label?
And, what are some possible ways around the issues?
Nancy Gonzalez Caro, MPH
Patient Education Specialist
ETR Associates
P.O. Box 1830
Santa Cruz, CA 95061
Phone (831) 438-4060 ex. 237
Fax (831) 438-4284
Email gonn@etr.org
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Jan 17 2003 - 14:41:29 EST