Health Literacy among Medically Underserved: The Role of Demographic Factors,Social Influence,and Religious Beliefs |
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| Authors: | Shannon M. Christy Clement K. Gwede Steven K. Sutton Enmanuel Chavarria Stacy N. Davis Rania Abdulla |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Division of Population Science, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center &2. Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA;3. Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA;4. Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA;5. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, Brownsville, Texas, USA;6. Department of Health Education and Behavioral Science, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA |
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| Abstract: | The current study examined the sociodemographic and psychosocial variables that predicted being at risk for low health literacy among a population of racially and ethnically diverse patients accessing primary care services at community-based clinics. Participants (N = 416) were aged 50–75 years, currently not up-to-date with colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, at average CRC risk, and enrolled in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed at promoting CRC screening. Participants completed a baseline interview that assessed health literacy as measured by Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine-Revised, sociodemographic factors, and psychosocial variables (e.g., health beliefs) prior to randomization and receipt of an intervention. Thirty-six percent of the participants were found to be at risk for low health literacy. Sociodemographic and psychosocial variables were assessed as predictors of being at risk for low health literacy using logistic regression. In the final model, predictors were male gender, being from a racial/ethnic minority group, being unable to work, having higher social influence scores, and having higher religious belief scores. These findings suggest several patient characteristics that may be associated with low health literacy, and highlight the importance of supporting all patients through simplified and clear communications and information to improve understanding of CRC screening information. |
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