Originally published September 30 2005
Those with lower levels of health literacy are more likely to be sick, study says
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Feinberg School of Medicine researchers have found health literacy, defined as the ability to obtain, process and understand basic health information, is usually absent in older people who have painful health problems that place limits on daily activities, The Japan Herald reports.
A Washington, D.C., study finds painful health problems placing limits on daily activities are more common in older people with poor health literacy.
The Institute of Medicine reports 48 percent of U.S. adults have inadequate health literacy -- defined as the ability to obtain, process and understand basic health information.
Michael Wolf of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Chicago's Northwestern University and colleagues used data from a survey of 2,923 Medicare enrollees in Cleveland, Houston, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale-Miami, Fla.
During a one-hour in-person interview, individuals' physical and mental health status were assessed and standardized mental and physical health test scores were determined.
The average age of the participants was 71 years.
Approximately one third of those surveyed had marginal health literacy.
The study found individuals with lower health literacy had significantly higher rates of certain chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure and arthritis.
The magnitude of these associations were large and clinically important, the authors wrote.
The study is detailed in the Sept. 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
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