National Institute for Literacy
 

[HealthLiteracy 462] Literacy and Race: how they affect health

Julie McKinney julie_mcKinney at worlded.org
Wed Oct 11 12:25:07 EDT 2006


Hi Everyone,

Below is a link to an article about race and literacy level as
determinants of prostate cancer. The data suggested that
African-American men are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate
cancer, but when adjusted for literacy skills and age, it seemed that
low-literacy skills and age were the greater predictors of the disease,
not race.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=52991

Many factors could affect these findings, but it does suggest that some
of what we read about race may actually be due to literacy-related
issues. How often do you think low-literacy's effect on health outcomes
is masked by its connection to race? Do we need more research that
measures literacy level and health outcomes?

I'd love to hear people's thoughts and experience!

All the best,
Julie

Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org




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