A Prototype Interactive Mapping Tool to Target Low Health Literacy in Missouri

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Background:

• A significant portion of American adults (36%) possess basic or below health literacy skills.
• Low health literacy poses challenges in obtaining, processing, and understanding health information and services.
• Identifying geographic disparities in health literacy is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an interactive web-based mapping tool for Missouri healthcare decisionmakers.
• To identify neighborhood-level "hotspots" of suboptimal health or healthcare potentially linked to low health literacy.
• To support efforts in addressing healthcare disparities.

Main Methods:

• Leveraged a predictive model to estimate health literacy at small geographic levels (e.g., census tracts).
• Developed a prototype interactive web-based mapping tool accessible via a dedicated website.
• The tool allows users to map community-level health literacy, health outcomes, sociodemographic data, and health services.

Main Results:

• The interactive mapping tool enables visualization of health literacy and related factors at various geographic scales.
• Stakeholders can generate data tables and reports for specific regions and characteristics of interest.
• The tool facilitates data-driven decision-making for health plans and community organizations.

Conclusions:

• The developed mapping tool provides a valuable resource for identifying and addressing health literacy-related healthcare disparities in Missouri.
• Accessible data visualization empowers stakeholders to target interventions effectively.
• This approach can contribute to reducing health inequities at the community level.