Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Low literacy: a problem in diabetes education

J E Overland1, P L Hoskins, M J McGill

  • 1Diabetes Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia.

Diabetic Medicine : a Journal of the British Diabetic Association
|November 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary

Simplifying health educational materials to a Grade 6 readability level significantly improves diabetic patients' comprehension. Lower readability enhances understanding, especially for individuals with identified literacy markers.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Atmospheric Carbon and Transport - America (ACT-America) Data Sets: Description, Management, and Delivery.

Earth and space science (Hoboken, N.J.)·2021
Same author

Young-onset type 2 diabetes and younger current age: increased susceptibility to retinopathy in contrast to other complications.

Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association·2020
Same author

Dust Impacts on the 2012 Hurricane Nadine Track during the NASA HS3 Field Campaign.

Journal of the atmospheric sciences·2018
Same author

Management of neuropathie ulceration.

Journal of wound care·2016
Same author

Congestive heart failure presence predicts delayed healing of foot ulcers in diabetes: An audit from a multidisciplinary high-risk foot clinic.

Journal of diabetes and its complications·2015
Same author

Zinc transporter 8 autoantibodies: what is their clinical relevance in gestational diabetes?

Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association·2014

Area of Science:

  • Health Literacy
  • Patient Education
  • Diabetes Management

Background:

  • Effective patient education is crucial for managing chronic conditions like diabetes.
  • Existing health literature often uses complex language, posing challenges for patients with varying literacy levels.
  • Assessing the impact of readability on patient comprehension is vital for improving health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate how different literacy levels of educational materials affect comprehension among diabetic patients.
  • To determine if simplified health literature improves understanding compared to standard materials.
  • To identify literacy markers associated with poorer comprehension of health information.

Main Methods:

  • Eighty-five English-proficient diabetic patients were randomized to read diabetes foot care materials.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Materials were of Grade 6, Grade 9, and Grade 11 readability levels (SMOG formula).
  • Comprehension was measured using CLOZE scores and the percentage of patients understanding the material independently.

    • Main Results:

    • Patients reading Grade 6 material showed significantly better comprehension (mean CLOZE score 59.5) than those reading Grade 11 (46.8) or Grade 9 (45.8) materials (p < 0.001).
    • 60% of patients independently understood Grade 6 material, compared to only 19% for Grade 11 and 21% for Grade 9 (p < 0.001).
    • Poorer comprehension of Grade 9/11 materials was linked to non-English background, early school leaving, infrequent reading, and tabloid preference; these links diminished with Grade 6 material.

    Conclusions:

    • Reducing the literacy demand of health literature substantially enhances patient comprehension.
    • Health educators should consider socio-demographic data and reading habits to select appropriate readability levels.
    • Tailoring educational materials to patient literacy levels is essential for effective diabetes self-management and improved health outcomes.