BACKGROUND Relatively little knowledge is available to date about health literacy among the general population in Europe. It is important to gain insights into health literacy competences among the general population, as this might contribute to more effective health promotion and help clarify socio-economic disparities in health. This paper is part of the European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-E...

Screening questions have been proposed as practical tools for detecting limited functional health literacy, but have achieved only moderate accuracy in previous studies. We hypothesized that a combination of screening questions and demographic characteristics could better predict a patient's functional health literacy. Three hundred and twenty-two hospital users from São Paulo, Brazil, were int...

Health and literacy share an interesting relationship. The complexities of the relationship between literacy and health need to be recognized by policy-makers and practitioners to dispel myths, reduce stigma attached to low literacy, and empower disadvantaged groups. As we engage in building knowledge in the field, there is a need for multi-sectoral collaboration, both quantitative and qualitat...

Health literacy has become a national priority in the United States. Although less is known about the rate, outcomes, and costs associated with health literacy globally relative to the United States, the subject has received increasing attention internationally as well. Definitions, conceptual models, and health literacy measures have proliferated in recent years, and consensus does not exist r...

Low health literacy is associated with higher mortality, higher rates of hospitalization, and poor self-management skills for chronic disease. Early, unplanned hospital reutilization after discharge is a common and costly occurrence in U.S. hospitals. Still, few studies have examined the relation between health literacy and 30-day hospital reutilization rates. The authors examined the associati...

AIM This study examined the relationships between health literacy, self-efficacy and preventive care utilization among older adults in Taiwan. METHODS The data were from a longitudinal survey, "Taiwan Longitudinal Study in Aging" in 2003 and 2007. A total of 3479 participants who completed both two waves were included for analysis. Health literacy first was constructed through education, cogn...

Reporting data back to study participants is increasingly being integrated into exposure and biomonitoring studies. Informal science learning opportunities are valuable in environmental health literacy efforts and report back efforts are filling an important gap in these efforts. Using the University of Arizona's Metals Exposure Study in Homes, this commentary reflects on how community-engaged ...

BACKGROUND Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) are children with medical or behavioral diagnoses that require services beyond those generally needed by pediatric populations. They account for a significant portion of pediatric health care expenditures and often have complicated treatment regiments. Health literacy has recently been recognized as a key indicator of quality chronic di...

Background In women's health, literacy determines their participation in self and family health promotion. Low health literacy is as barrier for understanding medical recommendations, disease prevention and health care. Aim To assess women's health literacy and relative factors in Mashhad (Iran). Methods Women referring to healthcare centers in Mashhad in 2012 and 2013, participated in this...

Health literacy impacts health outcomes. However, the relationship to blood pressure is inconsistent. This study aimed to determine whether health literacy, assessed by clinic staff, is associated with blood pressure among patients with hypertension. The design was a cross-sectional study of a large sample of primary care patient encounters in 3 academic medical center clinics in Nashville, Ten...