Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 21, Issue 1, 2019, Pages 204-209

Understanding the Gap: Perceived Health Literacy Levels Among Spanish-Speaking Immigrants in Miami-Dade County, 2016 (Article)

Moore E.* , Cordero C.
  • a Department of Epidemiology, Disease Control & Immunization Services, The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, Miami, FL, United States, 8175 NW 12th Street, Suite 314, Miami, FL 33126, United States
  • b Department of Epidemiology, Disease Control & Immunization Services, The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, Miami, FL, United States

Abstract

Health literacy levels among immigrant populations in Miami-Dade County have yet to be examined. This study investigates perceived health literacy ability and measured health literacy scores among Miami-Dade County immigrants. Methods: Patients seen in the Refugee Health Assessment Program and Family Planning Program completed a health literacy assessment in November 2016. Participants were immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries who reported living in the U.S. for ≤ 10 years. Logistic regression models were used to determine predictors of agreement. 283 patients responded. No characteristics were significant predictors of agreement; However, we found lower agreement among participants that were 18–24 years old (49%), received medical information from the internet/television (46%), and had lived in the U.S. for only 6–12 months (49%). Our findings suggest that immigrant patients may have limited understanding of their health literacy abilities. Clinicians need to take health literacy levels into account when interacting with patients. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Author Keywords

Immigrant health Refugee health Survey Health literacy Assessment

Index Keywords

consumer health information comprehension human middle aged Aged Logistic Models procedures Hispanic Americans Florida Surveys and Questionnaires Young Adult Humans migrant Hispanic Adolescent male Emigrants and Immigrants female questionnaire adult statistical model health literacy

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85048785360&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-018-0751-4&partnerID=40&md5=49d8c8a10a825ba9c9fd8f71801585d4

DOI: 10.1007/s10903-018-0751-4
ISSN: 15571912
Original Language: English