Opening Plenary: Opening Plenary: Opening Plenary: Working Together to Support Health Literacy

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Overview

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This opening talk sets the stage for one of the conference themes – that of deeper collaboration amongst us. First though, it is important to note that our efforts focused on health literacy offer opportunities to contribute to social justice. Our emphasis on dignified exchanges and reduced barriers to information, action, care, and services sounds an optimistic note during these difficult times. This collaborative conference offers an opportunity to shape strong and broad partnerships and perhaps a health literacy collectivity that eliminates some of the traditional divides amongst us -- whether it be based on our identify as researchers, practitioners, or policy makers or based on our work focus on activism, disaster mitigation, health care, environmental health, occupational health and safety, or public health. We look at some of the downfalls of segregated areas of work, move to examples of productive achievements from collaborative efforts, and note opportunities to help shape new research, further enhance practice, and support new public policies.

Speakers

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Opening - Michael Villaire, MSLM, Institute for Healthcare Advancement

Dr. Rima E. Rudd, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Breakout: What’s Your Goal? Choose the Most Effective Numbers for What You Want to Communicate

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Overview

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This opening talk sets the stage for one of the conference themes – that of deeper collaboration amongst us. First though, it is important to note that our efforts focused on health literacy offer opportunities to contribute to social justice. Our emphasis on dignified exchanges and reduced barriers to information, action, care, and services sounds an optimistic note during these difficult times. This collaborative conference offers an opportunity to shape strong and broad partnerships and perhaps a health literacy collectivity that eliminates some of the traditional divides amongst us -- whether it be based on our identify as researchers, practitioners, or policy makers or based on our work focus on activism, disaster mitigation, health care, environmental health, occupational health and safety, or public health. We look at some of the downfalls of segregated areas of work, move to examples of productive achievements from collaborative efforts, and note opportunities to help shape new research, further enhance practice, and support new public policies.

Objectives:

After this session, participants will be able to:

• Explain why the choice of number types should be matched to communication goals
• List at least 3 communication goals and provide examples of number types that promote those goals

Speakers

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Jessica Ancker, PhD, Weill Cornell Medical College

Brian Zikmund-Fisher, PhD, University of Michigan

Breakout Workshop: Public health literacy: what does it mean and how can we measure it?

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Overview

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Public health literacy widens the health literacy focus from skills to promote individual health, to skills to promote public health. Often what is good for individual health is also good for public health, but at times these two aspects of health literacy may be in conflict. This workshop will use presentations and plenary group work to better understand the concept of public health literacy and its constituent components: conceptual foundations, critical skills, and civic orientation. We will use the exemplar of actions required from individuals to reduce the community transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19. Specifically, we will identify areas where individual health literacy and public health literacy are concordant, and areas where there is dissonance.

We will then break out into small groups, one for each of the three constituent components of public health literacy, and start to explore potential items to measure in each area. We will then reconvene in plenary to hear the outcomes of each group.

Speakers

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Diane Levin-Zamir, University of Haifa Israel

Gillian Rowlands, Newcastle University

Oral Abstract Session I

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Speakers

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Moderator:  Nancy Morris

Implementing a Low Literacy, Multimedia Health Information Technology Intervention to Enhance Patient-Centered Cancer Care in Safety Net Settings

Elizabeth A. Hahn, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Does Health Literacy Influence Advance Care Directives of Cancer Patients?

Katherine Waite, Boston Medical Center

Deaf Community’s Experience of COVID-19

Daphine Postl, Rochester Institute of Technology

Limited Health Literacy in Midlife and its Associations with Risks for Later Cognitive Decline

Lauren A. Opsasnick, Northwestern University

Breakout: Numeracy Best Practices: When, Why, and How to Use (or Lose) Numbers in Health Materials

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Overview

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Health information is often complicated and hard to understand, especially for people with low health literacy skills. Health materials that are full of numbers can be especially confusing. That's why many health communicators are taught to use numbers only when necessary. But what does that really mean? And is it good advice?

In this session, you’ll learn what research tells us about including numbers in different types of health materials for audiences with low health literacy. You'll also hear what consumers have to say — in their own words — about numbers in health materials. And you’ll get practical tips to help you decide when to include numbers, what types of numbers to use, and when to leave them out of your materials entirely.

Objectives:

After this session, participants will be able to:

• Explain why people with low health literacy skills often have trouble understanding numbers in health materials
• Identify which types of numbers are typically easiest for people to understand
• Identify at least 3 best practices for using numbers when communicating about health
• Think critically about when — and how — to include numbers in health materials for audiences with low health literacy

Speakers

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Andrea Mongler, CommunicateHealth

Sandy Hilfinker, CommunicateHealth

Lunch: Special Interest Group: IHLA Child and Family Health Literacy SIG: Responding to Coronavirus-Related Health Literacy Needs in Children and Families

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Overview

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Caring for children's health is complex and requires specific health literacy skills. The International Health Literacy Association (IHLA) Child and Family Health Literacy Special Interest Group’s mission is to advance health literacy-related research, practice-/organizational-level change, education, and policy/advocacy to improve the health and well-being of children and adolescents. The group will focus on discussions and initiatives around evidenced-based solutions in pediatric health literacy research, education, and practice-/organizational-level change. This SIG aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents by: (1) promoting the consideration of health literacy in research involving children, adolescents, and families; (2) creating networking opportunities to encourage high quality collaborative research; and, (3) advancing and disseminating knowledge to academic and non-academic stakeholders.

Speakers

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Sasha Fleary, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy

Andrea Morrison, Medical College of Wisconsin

Lunch: Special Interest Group: Advocating for Policy: How to Champion Health Literacy?

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Overview

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This session will: 1) examine existing health literacy policies across the localities, states or countries assimilating common attributes vs. outlying tenets and 2) compare/contrast these policies with the World Health Organization Health Literacy recommendations. Special Interest Group members will collaborate to identify existing policies and connect with IHA or IHLA members within the locality, state or country where the policy exists to potentially contribute to the discussion. Those sharing will discuss how the policy was championed and its impact on health literacy practices within that area. This panel will empower attendees with tools for championing health literacy policy while cataloguing existing health literacy policy for reference.

Speakers

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Elena Carbone, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Joy Deupree, University of South Carolina, College of Nursing

Orkan Okan, Bielefeld University

Chris Trudeau, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Bowen School of Law

Teresa Wagner, University of North Texas Health Science Center

Plenary: Race, the Literacy Gap, and the Pandemic

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Overview

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By drawing from recent research and experiences as a community-engaged pollster, this session explores some health literacy barriers among African Americans while considering potential strategies for overcoming them.

Objectives:

• Discuss racial-group differences in how the COVID-19 pandemic is experienced
• Discuss racial-group differences in how COVID-19 is understood
• Discuss racial-group differences in the intent to adhere to public health recommendations
• Describe communication strategies for overcoming racial and ethnic disparities in health communication

Speakers

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Introduction: Michael Paasche-Orlow, MD, MA, MPH Boston University Medical Center

Plenary: Ray Block, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science and African American Studies at Penn State

Breakout: Helping Older Adults Bridge the Digital Divide

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Overview

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San Diego Oasis has taken 4,000 older adults who were used to attending one of 30 physical program locations to virtual participation over a weekend. Simona will share lessons learned in the transition, continual learning and improvement, and its newest pilot project: Bridging the Digital Divide, which is deploying a full suite of tech devices and services to low income, socially isolated senior population.

Objectives:

• Gain understanding of older adult technology learning preferences and behaviors
• Learn how the Bridging the Digital Divide pilot is addressing the seniors’ needs and wants in a holistic way
• Learn about the largest senior technology learning event, Oasis Get Connected: Technology Fair for the 50+
• Learn about the lighthouse concept of Oasis Innovation Center, shaping the future of aging and technology

Speakers

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Simona Valanciute, MBA, San Diego Oasis

Breakout Panel: Digital Health Literacy and US College Students in the Time of COVID-19

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Overview

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The health literacy of college and university students has become a topic of increasing relevance during the COVID-19 pandemic. College students have extensive social/social media networks, often live and interact in close quarters, travel from home to school within and across states, and tend to use digital sources to find information. Health-related decisions and behaviors of these students will impact COVID-19 infection rates, health outcomes, and the economic welfare not just of campuses, but also of surrounding communities and local economies. A better understanding of health literacy and digital health literacy for this population is critical to building useful programs, developing policies, and disseminating relevant health information across colleges, universities, health systems, and public health departments. In this panel, we will discuss current research on the health literacy and digital health literacy of U.S. college students.

Speakers

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Kevin Dadaczynski, Fulda University of Applied Sciences

Jennifer Manganello, University at Albany School of Public Health

Phillip Massey, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health

Tetine Sentell, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Oral Abstract Session II

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Speakers

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Moderator: Joy Deupree

Is it language or health literacy? Unpacking barriers to refugee health

Iris Feinberg, Georgia State University

Health Literacy in Context: Patients Perceptions about what Health Literacy Skills they Perceive as Important when Navigating through the Healthcare System, and in Managing their Health

Venkata Ratnadeep Suri, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology

Health Literacy and Intercultural Competence Training among Second Year Nursing Students

Michelle M. Ogrodnick, Georgia State University

Organizational assessment of health literacy of an academic medical center

Gyusik Park, University of Alabama School of Medicine

Breakout: Consumer Engagement during COVID-19: Lessons Learned from a Transition to Virtual Focus Groups

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Overview

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Limitations for hosting in-person field testing sessions have required many to rethink how they solicit end-user feedback on health materials. With trial and error, we have successfully shifted this work to a virtual platform and are getting incredible feedback from our participants, including those with known health literacy challenges. We will highlight our journey of exploration and adaptation throughout the field testing life cycle, covering logistics, implementation, and session follow-up activities.

Objectives:

• Identify challenges and solutions for including individuals with health literacy challenges in virtual field testing sessions
• Describe the impacts of a shift to virtual field testing on resource demands, including budget and human resources

Speakers

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B. Alison Caballero, MPH, CHES, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Center for Health Literacy