Determining the Health Literacy Skills of Extension Audiences in Maryland

In: Journal of human sciences and extension

Abstract

Strong health literacy skills empower people to make
informed health decisions, especially those with chronic health conditions striving for
positive health outcomes. Half of all people living in Maryland report having at least
one chronic disease. Research examining the health literacy of Marylanders is limited.
This paper reports how establishing a baseline for health literacy levels of Marylanders
can identify major factors affecting the health literacy skills of Extension audiences
and lays the important groundwork to develop Extension programs and explore the best
delivery methods tailored to the needs of subpopulations. Using the Newest Vital Sign, a
validated tool that uses the Nutrition Facts label for measuring health literacy, a
cross-sectional study surveyed 636 people living in 23 counties and Baltimore City. The
tool was adapted to include the new Nutrition Facts label (effective 2020). Results
indicated education (p < .001), race (p < .001), and gender (p = .02) were
strongly associated with an individual's health literacy. Extension educators should not
make assumptions that the health information they provide is easily understood. Further,
they should explore the best approaches to assess the health literacy skills of their
target audiences to ensure that information is clearly communicated and can be used to
make informed health decisions.