e’ve all been there. Sitting in a cold exam room, tense and nervous, perhaps embarrassed in one of those awkward gowns. Not understanding what the doctor is saying — or even knowing what to ask.
Not knowing how to make informed healthcare choices can take a toll — physical, financial, emotional — even professional.
And the numbers don’t lie. Compared to people with higher health literacy, patients with low health literacy have:
In our webinar, “Why Health Literacy Matters to Your Business,” leading experts Cynthia Baur, PhD, Endowed Professor and Director of the University of Maryland’s Horowitz Center for Health Literacy, and Dr. Russell Rothman, MD, MPP, Director of the Center for Health Services Research at Vanderbilt University, discussed with EdLogics moderator and population health expert Fred Goldstein how, by focusing on statistics, we may be missing the bigger picture.
Watch the complete webinar:
Here’s just a small part of what they had to say:
Fred Goldstein: Given all of the statistics, what are some of the key reasons patients with lower health literacy experience poorer health and require more care?
Dr. Baur: One of the things I like people to think about is even the framing of that question. Because you are right about the data that’s been collected on people’s experiences and outcomes with getting healthcare services.
But that approach of looking at people’s health literacy levels and the use of emergency services and what-not — many times, that approach puts the blame on them. Because it makes them seem like they’re doing things that are inappropriate or costing the system or themselves more money.
Dr. Baur: The reality is that we live in a very complex set of health systems. There are multiple healthcare systems.
There’s the public health system. There’s the educational system which influences people’s knowledge and skills about health.
So all of those different systems are part of that larger environment in which people are trying to get information and services. …
Health literacy has really been an issue that’s been out there for a while. The data have been accumulating about these costs.
We’re at a point where people are taking a step back and saying, if you want patient-centered or person-centered health and healthcare, you really have to look at what people’s experiences with these systems are.
You have to look at the challenges they face and the demands being placed on them to try to get information and services. And that will lead us toward looking at organizational practices, system redesign, and ways that will make it easier for people to get what they need.
Dr. Rothman: Poor health literacy is a common problem. We know that over 90 million Americans have basic or below basic skills, and over 110 million have only basic or below basic quantitative skills, which can make it very challenging in our very numbers-focused healthcare environment.
Even people with good health literacy skills can now struggle to navigate what’s become a very complex healthcare system. Trying to figure out how to take their medicines, how to follow a good diet, how to follow up specific recommendations from providers — even just navigating where to go in the hospital, or how to get to appointments, or how to navigate insurance — it’s all become very complex. The amount of time patients have to interact with their doctors or other clinicians whether it’s at a clinic or even in the hospital — it’s very short.
Dr. Rothman: There are real opportunities for us to improve how we provide health information to patients and families to help them to improve their health.
The information and opinions attributed to Drs. Baur and Rothman are their opinions only and do not necessarily represent the views of their affiliated organizations, including the University of Maryland, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
A version of this article was originally published 3/24/2017.
Health insurance plans can seem like they’re written in secret code.
Between trying to decipher mysterious acronyms — like HSAs, FSAs, and HDHPs — and remembering your portal password, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
"Many of the people we work with feel overwhelmed with the process of choosing the right health insurance plan options," says Scott Spann, a financial planner with Financial Finesse, a provider of workplace financial wellness benefits.. "The majority of Americans are anxious about rising premiums and choosing the right type of coverage." But digging into the details is well worth the effort, he adds.
As high deductible healthcare plans continue to grow in popularity, it’s important to at least take time to understand the basics. Failing to take the time to review your options can be a costly mistake.
Can’t find your decoder ring? This primer can help you get started. EdLogics members can find more in the Glossary of Terms on our Health Insurance learning page.
A version of this article was originally published 6/28/2017.
More and more people are talking about health literacy across the globe.
Experts in medicine, government and public policy are continuing to expand their understanding of the incredible opportunity that increasing health literacy can have in improving health and health outcomes.
Low health literacy means someone has trouble understanding basic healthcare facts, and it often leads to poor health outcomes. These challenges include:
At the recent Health Literacy Conference presented by Wisconsin Literacy in Madison, Wisconsin, luminaries and academics in the area of health literacy met to discuss how to better address the global challenges and costs associated with low health literacy.
In a panel led by the International Health Literacy Association (IHLA), the organization shared its goals and tactics for addressing this global issue.
The International Health Literacy Association (IHLA) is a member-based association for professional development within the health literacy field. IHLA serves a diverse range of stakeholders, medicals, public health professionals, educators, as well as many others engaged in health literacy, research, policy, education and practice.
While research is being conducted across the globe, there is currently little coordination of these efforts or even the sharing of critical data and findings. Not surprisingly, much of this research is carried out within very homogenous populations. This makes the global relevancy of any accumulated data a relatively complex topic.
The IHLA seeks to help in a number of ways:
The IHLA launched with meeting in North America, Asia and Europe. They are currently developing a schedule for upcoming meetings and initiatives.
They are also forming work groups and creating a more formal organizational structure. Visit the International Health Literacy Association for more informaton.
A version of this article was originally published 4/18/2017.
sing telemedicine, or telehealth — where you see a doctor online from your own home rather than in person — can save you time, money, and often a lot of hassles. Discover how telemedicine works, what health problems it's often used for, and how it can help you.
This is an example of the engaging healthcare infographics available to users of The EdLogics Platform, a gamified space that improves employee engagement and health literacy.
View, share, download, and print our huge collection of free infographics on a variety of topics, from preventing and managing common health problems to navigating the healthcare system.
Contact us to learn how to get access for your organization.
A version of this post was first published 6/7/2018.
Your everyday choices matter more than you might think. In fact, daily habits have a bigger impact on your health than your race, gender, environment, family history, income, or any other single factor. Learn how to swap bad habits for healthier ones — and reap the rewards.
This is an example of the engaging healthcare infographics available to users of The EdLogics Platform, a gamified space that improves employee engagement and health literacy.
View, share, download, and print our huge collection of free infographics on a variety of topics, from preventing and managing common health problems to navigating the healthcare system.
Contact us to learn how to get access for your organization.
A version of this post was first published 1/9/2018.
We’re proud. But we’re not surprised.
A study by the University of Oregon's Brian Primack, MD, PhD — an EdLogics advisor — has been named Article of the Year by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM). The study, “Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the US,” examines whether time on social media actually helps — or hurts — our personal connections.
From the journal:
“The Article of the Year is selected by the AJPM editors and one representative from each of the journal’s two sponsoring professional societies, the American College of Preventive Medicine and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research.”
The honor was announced late last year.
You might recall our recent webinar, “Improving Health Literacy: What Works & Why,” featuring Dr. Primack and EdLogics advisor and health literacy expert Dr. Russell Rothman, MD, MPP, of Vanderbilt University. Dr. Primack made some illuminating, thought-provoking points on the effectiveness of gamification and game-based learning for improving health literacy.
In addition to being an EdLogics advisor, Dr. Primack is the director of Center for Research on Media, Technology and Health at the University of Pittsburgh. For this study, he and his colleagues surveyed 1,787 adults in the US ages 19–32, asking about their social media habits across 11 different social networks. They also asked about loneliness and isolation, gauging the correlation between social media use and feeling left out.
What they found surprised them.
You’d think that social media connects us. That’s the point, isn’t it?
But the more people use social media, the more lonely they say they feel. In fact, those who used it more than 2 hours a day were twice as likely to report feeling socially isolated, compared to those who spent a half-hour a day or less.
“The people in the highest quartile of social media use [more than 58 visits a week] … had about 3 times the likelihood of having perceived social isolation,” Primack says. “Social media does not translate directly to better social connectedness.”
He goes on:
“It may be that people who are already socially isolated are turning to social media to try to fill that void. However, if that is the case, the results of this study would suggest that that self-medication is not working so well.
“On the other hand, it may be that people who use more social media are being exposed to highly curated messages suggesting that ‘everyone else has more connections, a better life than I do.’ And in comparison, people can feel sad or they can feel socially isolated. … It may be a combination of the two.”
American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2017 Article of the Year
Brian A. Primack, MD, PhD, from the University of Pittsburgh discusses “Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U.S.” This article was chosen by the editors of AJPM as the top article published in the journal in 2017.
It can depend on how you use social media. Primack is already making plans for future studies that get into more nuanced detail. That way, we can see what types of social media use correlate to feeling more — or less — lonely. We can see which social media behaviors correlate to which feelings.
Until then, Primack says, everyone can judge for themselves how social media affects them:
“Is their social media use making their lives better, is it inadvertently detracting from them?”
The study: Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the US
NPR: Feeling Lonely? Too Much Time On Social Media May Be Why
Today: Feeling Lonely? How to Stop Social Media From Making You Feel Isolated
CBS (video): Study: More Social Media Use Tied To Increasing Feelings Of Isolation
A version of this article was originally published 1/19/2019.
igh blood pressure affects almost all of us as we age. But our habits and genetics can make it come at a younger age and cause more serious problems. African-Americans have a higher risk of high blood pressure, and suffer more of the complications.
Without treatment, high blood pressure can lead to:
➡️ Heart attack: Damaged arteries stop blood from reaching the heart.
➡️ Stroke: Blocked or burst blood vessels don’t bring blood and oxygen to the brain.
➡️ Heart failure: The heart can’t pump enough blood through the body.
➡️ Kidney disease: Damaged arteries around the kidneys make it hard for them to clean the blood.
➡️ Vision loss: Damaged blood vessels keep the eyes from working properly.
➡️ Sexual problems: Damaged blood vessels can cause erectile dysfunction and low sex drive.
➡️ Peripheral artery disease (PAD): Narrowed arteries in the legs, arms, stomach, and head cause pain and fatigue.
In the US, high blood pressure contributes to almost 1,900 deaths every single day.
➡️ In fact, in the US alone ...
7 in 10 people who have their 1st HEART ATTACK ...
8 in 10 people who have their 1st STROKE ...
7 in 10 people with CHRONIC HEART FAILURE ...
... also have HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, according to the CDC. ⬅️
This is an example of the engaging healthcare infographics available to users of The EdLogics Platform, a gamified space that improves employee engagement and health literacy.
View, share, download, and print our huge collection of free infographics on a variety of topics, from preventing and managing common health problems to navigating the healthcare system.
Contact us to learn how to get access for your organization.
ood news: New goods! We have a lot of great stuff for you. Let’s jump right in:
In a lot of ways, the internet is still the Wild West — especially when it comes to kids. Let’s face it: kids (and to be honest, a whole lot of adults) don’t know much about skills you need to stay safe on social media, like using self-control, moderating emotions, measuring risk, and others. Online predators, cyberbullying, scams, hate groups ... all these things (and more) can hurt your child mentally, emotionally, and in some cases, even physically. Learn what you can do to protect your child.
Colorectal cancer is killing more young adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s than ever, and the diagnosis rates are rising. In fact, colorectal cancer is now the #1 leading cause of cancer death in men under 50, and the second leading cause in women in the same age group, according to a 2024 report from the American Cancer Society. Don’t assume it can’t be serious just because you’re young. Check out our slideshow. Learn more about your risk for colorectal cancer, no matter how old you are — and what you can do to prevent it.
Everyone’s tired. Few of us are getting enough sleep to be healthy and feel our best. Even when we know what we should do to sleep better, it can be hard to turn off the lights (or our brains) and turn in. Many habits that you may not think twice about — like a late-night snack, or a nightcap, or scrolling on your phone in bed — can lower the quality of your sleep. Check out our comprehensive (if not exhaustive) slideshow on Bedtime Dos and Don’ts — and sleep better tonight.
Stomachache? It could be last night’s double cheeseburger — or something more serious. Check out our infographic for 18 of the most common causes. Knowing what’s hurting you is the first step toward knowing how to treat it — and feeling better.
We’ve made some improvements to our most popular game — with more to come in the near future. Now, you lose 5 seconds if you guess wrong. That might make it more challenging to beat the clock, but it also reinforces learning all these important health facts. Random clicking won’t get you anywhere — not anymore! Check it out! And stay tuned for many more improvements coming very soon.
Log in now. See what’s new. Play, learn, and win!
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