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Health
Literacy: Important for Limited English Speakers
Continued from e-Literacy News Home
This is due in
part to
recent research findings that indicate a correlation between
low literacy and poor health in adults and better poor health
and difficulties in participating in educational programs. In
fact, according the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)�s
report,
The Health Literacy of America�s Adults (2006),
"people who are low income, less educated and/or have limited
English skills are at high risk of having low health literacy."
Rima Rudd, former
professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and well-known
scholar in the field of health literacy, defines health literacy
as the knowledge and skills needed to:
This topic is
especially relevant in Florida, because approximately 25% of the
state�s residents speak a language other than English at home.
The Health Literacy of America�s Adults found that
Hispanic adults had lower average health literacy than adults in
any of the other racial/ethnic groups.
There are many
resources and activities for instructors to effectively teach
health literacy to adult ESOL students. Many of these are freely
available on the web.
The Florida
Literacy Coalition is partnering with the
GROWS (Greater Reading or
Writing Skills) Literacy Council, in Apopka, to raise the
health literacy levels of 32 Hispanic women participating in
their family literacy program. Teachers at GROWS will be
integrating health literacy into the program�s existing
curriculum. This curriculum will be offered for 1 hour a week
for 10 weeks, essentially teaching English using health related
materials.
The family
literacy program at GROWS works with mothers and children,
teaching English language and literacy skills while sharing
information with parents about how they can support their
children�s educational development.
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Health Literacy Resources for Educators |
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Ask Me 3 |
The Partnership for Clear Health
Communication is a coalition of national organizations
that are working together to promote awareness and
solutions around the issue of low health literacy and
its effect on health outcomes. |
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Culture, Health and Literacy: A guide to
health education materials for adults with limited
English skills
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The materials discussed in this guide are
intended for health care practitioners working with
patients with limited English literacy skills, or adult
literacy practitioners -particularly English for
speakers of other languages (ESOL) teachers-who want to
incorporate health topics into their curricula. |
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Fairfax Family Literacy Curriculum's
Health Module |
Lesson plans and materials for
integrating health topics into family literacy. |
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Family, Health and Literacy: A Guide to
Easy-to-Read Health Education Materials and Web Sites
for Family |
This guide includes concrete examples of
how to integrate health and literacy education, how to
get started and engage adult learners, and how to build
connections between literacy programs and local health
services. |
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Health and Literacy Special Collection |
Three major sections with their own links
include Health Lessons & Activities, Easy-to-Read Health
Information, and Multilingual Health Information. |
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Virginia Adult Education Health Literacy
Toolkit |
Helps adult education instructors and
administrators better understand the problem of health
literacy as it affects their learners. |
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Health Literacy Resources for Students |
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Healthy Roads Media |
Handouts, audio, multi-media and video
resources available in multiple languages on topics such
as abuse, cancer, dental, heart, immunizations, women's
health, nutrition and more. |
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Picture Stories for Adult ESL Health
Literacy |
Topics include emergency, a doctor's
appt, stressed out, domestic violence,
nutrition/exercise, depression, medication |
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Quick Information for Your Health |
20 free educational pamphlets in English
or Spanish can be printed or downloaded as PDF files.
Topics include diabetes, eating for a healthy heart, how
to give medicine to children, mammograms and breast
cancer, and protecting your child against home poisons. |
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What to do for Health? book series |
5 books in English or Spanish; Each has a
teacher trainer manual. Titles: What to do when your
child gets sick, when you're having a baby, for teen
health, for senior health, for healthy teeth. |
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