Health Literacy A Prescription to End Confusion (2004) / Chapter Skim
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5 Educational Systems
5 Educational Systems
Pages 142-166
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educational systems offer a primary point of inter vention to improve the quality of literacy and health literacy. The educational systems discussed in this chapter are the K-12 system, the adult education system, and education for health professionals.
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K-12 Education Health Education Programs The School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , indicated that most elementary, middle, and high schools require health education classes as a part of the curriculum (Kann et al., 2001)
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The NHES identified obstacles that continue to impede health education programs, including: · Lack of appreciation for the relationship between health status and success in academic and work performance, · Low levels of commitment by school board members and administrators, · Inadequately prepared teachers, · Insufficient funding for resources and staff development, · Overcrowded curricula with little or no time for health education (Pateman, 2002; Thackeray et al., 2002) , · Unconnected and seemingly irrelevant health instruction, · Lack of recognition of the contribution made by health education to the achieve ment of the academic goals of schools, · Failure to adequately document student performance in achievement of health literacy.
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Unfortunately, among 38 states that participated in the School Health Education Profiles Study, the percentage of schools that required a health education course decreased between 1996 and 2000, as did the percentage of schools that taught about dietary behaviors and nutrition, and about how HIV is transmitted. During the year 2000, only 27 percent of schools required health education in grade 6, a number that fell to 2 percent in grade 12 (Storch et al., 2003)
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These findings suggest an opportunity for science and health-care professionals to participate in school science and health education programs to improve the health literacy of pre-college students. In fact, more than half of 107 elementary school teachers at 31 schools reported wanting classroom visits by health professionals (Thackeray et al., 2002)
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It is too soon to report any results of these changes, but increasing numbers of schools and school districts are attending to the issues raised by the national concern with literacy achievement. College and University Health Education Nearly two-thirds of the 27 million 18- to 24-year-olds in the United States become college undergraduates (U.S.
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proposes that government investment into teacher professional development, research into school health frameworks, and wider dissemination of effective school health programs will improve health literacy. In addition to health education programs, opportunities for health literacy instruction exist that embed health literacy content into basic literacy teaching.
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Schools and colleges could incorporate health literacy education into a range of exiting programs and services such as health services, health education, food services, physical education, and counseling, psychological, and social services (Kolbe, 1986)
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These findings suggest that the participation of health-care professionals in school health education programs would improve the health literacy of pre-college students. Embedding health literacy instruction can be done with the two types of literacy instruction needed to improve health literacy: basic print literacy instruction and literacy instruction in text types common to the field of health literacy.
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This study was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Interagency Education Research Initiative. Several studies funded by the National Science Foundation and the Interagency Educational Research Initiative have examined the outcomes of introducing more expository texts into primary-grade instruction during years typically devoted to basic literacy learning.
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. The major purpose of the SCASS Health Education Assessment Project is to improve health literacy by guiding improvements in school health education planning and delivery (Pateman, 2003)
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. For example, the state of California has developed a tool to aid health education curriculum development at the local level and to promote collaborations between schools, parents, and the community, called "Health Framework for California's Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve" and the State of Alaska produced "Healthy Reading Kits" for grades 2 through 8 (Matthews and Sewell, 2002)
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From page 154... ...
of those who reported using English language instruction took either a basic skills or English language adult education course. In addition, 11.3 percent of high school dropouts and 13.3 percent of high school graduates with NALS Levels 1 or 2 skills reported participation in basic skills classes.
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These efforts, and effective adult education programs to improve health literacy, could be made available to more people through a cooperative effort between the health system and the ABEL system to undertake a research and development agenda that would lead to educational programs that served the needs of health literacy and the needs of English language and basic skills instruction. Strategies and Opportunities in the Adult Education System Adult education theory maintains that people prefer and want information that is relevant to their current situation, and they tend to learn better when the environment is open and encouraging (or facilitative)
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Theories of learning and health education principles can offer explanations for health behaviors and actions and can point to promising ways to create meaningful messages (Meade, 2001)
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. Finding 5-2 Opportunities for measuring literacy skill levels required for health knowledge and skills, and for the implementation of programs to increase learner's skill levels, currently exist in adult education programs and provide promising models for expanding programs.
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Approaches to education for health professionals should include both curricular and continuing education to reach the greatest number of providers at all stages of career development. The approaches described below may provide a starting point for increased integration of health literacy concepts and skills into professional and continuing education programs.
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Continuing Education Approaches Most health literacy training for health professionals is done under continuing education umbrellas. Continuing medical education (CME)
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Included are a manual for clinicians, a new video documentary, reprintable information, guidelines for continuing medical education credit, and additional resources for education and involvement. The AMA Foundation provides these kits free to AMA Alliance chapters and state, county, and specialty medical societies that make a formal commitment to launch health literacy educational programs of their own, and to that end provide an extensive "train the trainer" program with a faculty guide to the clinician workshop and guidelines for local implementation planning.
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Studies indicate a desire on the part of adult learners and adult education programs to form partnerships with health communities. Finding 5-3 Health professionals and staff have limited education, training, con tinuing education, and practice opportunities to develop skills for improving health literacy.
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2003. Coordinated School Health Programs Staff: 20022003 Directory.
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1995. Implementation of comprehensive school health education in elementary schools: Focus on teacher concerns.
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2001. Health education: Results from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000.
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2002. A sharper image for school health education: Hawaii's "seven by seven" curriculum focus.
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1997. Promoting Health Through Schools: Report of a WHO Expert Committee on Comprehensive School Health Education and Promotion.
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