MATERIALS NEEDED: MyPlate, MyPyramid and the Food Pyramid picture or poster, MyPlate handouts, computers, Internet access.

Transcription

1 Health Literacy Health literacy is the degree to which individuals can obtain, process and understand the basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions. But, health literacy goes beyond the individual. It is a two way street between the patient and health care providers: doctors, nurses, administrators, home health workers and others. A study published by the National Assessment of Adult Literacy indicates that only 12% of adults are proficient in Health Literacy, while 14% are deficient. Health Literacy is more than the ability to read and write. Patients must have math skills to understand nutrition labels, measure medications, or calculate blood sugar levels or cholesterol levels. Beyond actual health related mathematical concerns, is the patient s ability to compare prescription drug coverage, or to calculate premiums, co-pays and deductibles. Health Literacy is not affected only by reading, writing and arithmetic. Cultural mores come into play; language differences and access to health care are also factors. In China, it is considered impolite to ask questions, so a Chinese patient may leave the doctor s office without fully understanding the problem. Individuals with limited proficiency in English face many difficulties understanding health care information. Many rural areas of this country have very limited access to health care providers and information. Health Literacy is not just a concern for people with limited literacy skills or who live in rural areas. Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion, states that a person who has finished high school and knows how to read may still not be able to navigate the health system. So, Health Literacy can also impact the health of well-educated people. Medical technology is advancing in leaps and bounds, making it difficult for even the best-educated people to keep up. Add in the stress and worry of a medical problem and you have the formula for poor Health Literacy. Health Literacy impacts more than people s health. There is a financial cost to poor Health Literacy and it s huge. The number of uninsured people has dropped to 13% since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Research has shown that the uninsured will delay seeking help for health problems for as long as possible, but sometimes have no choice but to see a doctor or go to the hospital. Despite common belief, statistics show that the uninsured do attempt to pay their medical bills, managing to cover more than one-third of the total cost of health care services provided to them. The remaining two-thirds is paid by government programs and by higher premiums paid by those with health insurance. In Missouri, about 1,300 days of work are missed per year per 1,000 employed persons due to asthma, diabetes and hypertension. This has a projected economic impact of $685 million per year in the state. All businesses have a certain amount of absenteeism and presenteeism, regardless of whether health insurance is offered. Presenteeism is when employees are present but not productive due to health related impairment. Employees who have health insurance experience fewer sick days and shorter periods of illness. Insured individuals are also more likely than the uninsured to have access to preventive care and to have more resources to manage a chronic condition. What all this means is that Health Literacy is important to each and every one of us for quite a few reasons. We want to understand and manage our own health. It makes financial sense that we would want others to manage and understand their health. Also, we want policy makers to make good decisions on how health care will be managed in the future.

2 Learning Activities Nutrition is an important part of Health Literacy. As the incidence of obesity has risen, it is essential that people, especially children, practice good nutrition. ACTIVITY SET ONE: MyPlate and Food Pyramid MyPlate, MyPyramid and the Food Pyramid picture or poster, MyPlate handouts, computers, Internet access. Students will learn to develop a healthy diet with portion control. Have your students research all representations of a healthy diet to discern the differences between them. Ask them to find out what experts thought of the old Food Pyramid and what they think of MyPlate. Have them choose which representation they feel is best and be prepared to defend their choice. All of this information may be reported to the class as presentations, or posters. Have your students calculate the percentage of each section of MyPlate. Give them seven days worth of MyPlate handouts to take home and log their portions for each meal. Have them report back to the class on how their meals correspond to the MyPlate portions. Add all reported portions of the class together and find the mean, median, mode and range.

3 ACTIVITY SET TWO: You Can Learn A Lot From A Nutrition Label One Nutrition Label per student, Nutrition Label handouts, scanned Food Label, computer and white board or projector. Students will learn to read and understand how to find information on Nutrition Labels. Display the scanned Nutrition Label. Show the class how to find information on the label, starting at the top; Serving Size Serving Size per Container Calories Calories from Fat % Daily Value Total Fat and on down the list Nutrition Labels contain a lot of information, so there are a variety of exercises in this section. The information can vary with each food product; it contains product specific information (serving size, calories and nutrient information). 1. Simple Math: Have your students determine the Serving Size per Container and the number of calories per serving size. Serving sizes are standardized to make it easier to compare similar foods; they are provided in familiar units, such as cups or pieces, followed by the metric amount, e.g., the number of grams. If they ate all of the food in the entire container, how many calories would they have ingested? 2. Have them do this with Calories from Fat, % Daily Value, etc. 3. Have your students record nutrition information about their meals for one week, then report to the class on how healthy they feel their diet is. General Guide to Calories 40 Calories is low 100 Calories is moderate 400 Calories or more is high THE GENERAL GUIDE TO CALORIES provides a general reference for calories when you look at a Nutrition Facts label. This guide is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Eating too many calories per day is linked to overweight and obesity.

4 Activity Set Three: Ask Me Three None Students will learn to understand and ask questions about the advice given by health care professionals. Exchange of information between health care professionals and patients is one of the most important areas of Health Literacy. Have your students brainstorm important questions that patients should have answered before they leave an appointment. Once all ideas have been listed, compare their results to the ASK ME 3 program. Ask Me 3 is a patient education program designed to promote communication between health care providers and patients in order to improve health outcomes. The program encourages patients to understand the answers to three questions: 1. What is my main problem? 2. What do I need to do? 3. Why is it important for me to do this? Patients should be encouraged to ask their providers these three simple, but essential, questions in every health care interaction. Likewise, providers should always encourage their patients to understand the answers to these three questions. Studies show that people who understand health instructions make fewer mistakes when they take their medicine or prepare for a medical procedure. They may also get well sooner or be able to better manage a chronic health condition. Of course, there are many other important questions, such as: what tests will be performed to diagnose my condition, what are the risks of these tests, will I ever be able to stop taking my medicine, if my symptoms worsen, what should I do? Have your students practice asking the above health questions of one another. Have them take turns role-playing as the patient and the health care professional. People are often nervous about bothering doctors, when, in fact, it is their right to know as much as possible about their health. By practicing asking these questions, they will become more comfortable when it becomes necessary to ask in real life.

5 Activity Set Four: Fast Food Is Not Our Friend Students analyze the nutritional value of their favorite fast food meals and describe alternative choices for these unhealthy foods. Collect menus and nutrition information from a variety of fast food restaurants, like McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut and others. Scan these for display on your whiteboard. The student understands the potential impact of a high fat diet on the quality of life. The student understands the role of individual responsibility regarding personal risk behaviors. Ask your students to name their favorite restaurants and food. Do they think these places serve healthy or unhealthy food? Is their favorite food healthy or unhealthy? Do they know the health risks of diets high in fat and cholesterol? Name some of the diseases associated with these diets, like diabetes, heart problems and arteriosclerosis. Have them plan the healthiest meal possible from their favorite restaurants. Now, have them compare that meal s fat and calorie content to their normal meal. Is the healthiest meal much better than their normal meal, or is it about the same? Ask them to calculate how much fat and number of calories they get on average in one month from their favorite restaurant. Now, multiply that by 12. This should emphasize to them, the impact on their long-term health. Tell your students that children ages 7 to 12 should eat about 2,200 calories per day, while adults should consume around 2,000 calories per day. Exercise levels and current weight can affect these numbers. Have them look at the fast food menus. Did they notice that the totals of single meals at a fast food restaurant comprise almost a full day s calories? Remind your students that food eaten at home is not necessarily any healthier than fast food. Prepared foods are often high in sodium, calories, or fat. Students may research good, easy recipes to prepare food at home that is healthier to eat.

6 Activity Set Five: Understanding OTC and Prescription Drugs Empty samples of Over The Counter and Prescription drug containers Students will understand the differences between OTC and Prescription medicines. Show your students the OTC medicines. Ask them where such a drug could be purchased, who can take it and are there any restrictions on taking it. Now do the same with the Prescription drug containers. Your students should understand the following difference: OTCs may be purchased without a doctor s order and may be bought off the shelf at a local retail store may be used by more than one person with the same symptoms Prescription medications must be ordered by a doctor may only be filled at a pharmacy must only be used by the person for whom it is prescribed They also should understand there are similarities between the products: directions must be followed carefully and correctly medicine can be harmful if used improperly children should use medicines only with adult supervision

7 Activity Set Six: Reading OTC and Prescription Drug Labels Copies of Prescription and OTC labels and directions, see below. Students will understand how to read drug labels. Pass out copies of the labels. Have your students identify the following information: What is the name of the drug and Active Ingredient? For what symptoms is it used? Are there any warnings? What are the directions? Is there any other important information? What are the Inactive Ingredients? All of this information is important and users need to think about each aspect. Although each piece of information is important, the directions are often where people make the most mistakes. Talk to your students about dosage size. Ensure the students understand the difference between tsp-teaspoon and tbsp-tablespoon. Another area where people may make a mistake, is the adult/child dosage size.