Or even better, is there a link? Seeing the information patients had to see will allow us to perhaps design our information a little better. Another question would be what component of readability for the material is "words (vocabulary, mechanics, sentence structure, etc)" and what component is "layout" (font, typeset), and "images" (diagrams, tables, figures).
 
My apologies if this was covered in the material - I have read several reports this week ?
 
What can we learn from this report that we can also apply to health literacy month?
-----Original Message-----
From: healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Liu, Chiung-Ju
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 12:12 PM
To: The Health and Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [HealthLiteracy 1204] Re: (no subject)



Hi! Mark,

 

I am curious how did you decide what kind of health information (such as what disease, print format...) to put in the health literacy component? I remember that there is one literacy task in 2003 NAAL is to read a pamphlet of colon caner. Can you describe more specifically about information written in that pamphlet? Thanks.

Chiung-ju (CJ) Liu, Ph.D.
NIDRR postdoctoral fellow
Health and Disability Research Institute
School of Public Health 
Boston University Medical Campus
580 Harrison Ave., 4th FL 
Boston MA 02118-2639
Phone: 617/638-1990

Fax: 617/638-1999

  _____  

From: healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Kutner, Mark
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 12:06 PM
To: The Health and Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [HealthLiteracy 1198] (no subject)

 

Good morning all.  Cynthia Baur and I are very much looking forward to answering any questions or issues that you might have related to the health literacy component and report of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL).  Just as way of introduction, from 1999 through last December I was the project director for the design, analysis, and reporting component of NAAL.  In that role, I worked with Cynthia in developing the health literacy component of NAAL.  The health literacy items also had to be prose, document, and quantitative items so that they could also be placed on the NAAL scale.  The health literacy items were field tested before being included on the national study.  As we discuss the health literacy component, it is important to remember that the NAAL was administered in the homes of individuals, not in a doctor's office or emergency room.

 

In case folks are shy, I want to pose a couple of questions to all of you: 

 

1. As an individual who has been involved in adult literacy and assessment for almost 20 years, I am curious to hear you perspectives about the difference between measuring literacy and health literacy, especially when the definition of health literacy (which we used from HHS) does not indicate any prior substantive knowledge of health-related issues (such as I take aspirin for headaches).  

 

2. Also, NAAL highlights the challenges of improving health literacy for adults whose first language is not English.  What evidence do we have about successful approaches to ensure that the health literacy for these adults improves?

 

 

As we begin these discussions, I want to clearly acknowledge that there would never have been a health literacy component of NAAL if it was not for the hard work, perseverance,  stubbornness of Cynthia Baur. For me, working with Cynthia on the health literacy component has been a real joy.  The field is quite fortunate to be able to benefit from her leadership!.

 
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