Poor Readers Die Younger
Who knew that your ability to read may be a matter of life or death?
The problem is that poor readers can’t get the information they need to stay healthy. They don’t know how to take medicine correctly, when to seek medical care, or how to treat their illnesses.
Older people with low literacy skills have a 50% greater chance of dying over 5 years than seniors with adequate reading ability.
That’s according to a study from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. It was published in the July 23rd issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Only Smoking Is Worse For Your Health
The researchers found that low health literacy was the #2 predictor of death — right after smoking. Most of the higher death rates came from heart disease.
Low health literacy was defined as the inability to read and understand basic health-related materials such as doctor appointment slips, hospital forms and prescription bottles.
The study was done on almost 3300 Medicare patients in Cleveland, Miami, San Antonio, and Tampa.
In 1997, the patients were tested on their ability to read health-related materials like prescription bottles.
Six years later, the researchers determined how many had died by matching patient names against the National Death Index.
The Researchers Were Shocked By The High Death Rates
The results pointed to an urgent need to educate poor readers about their health.
Three main changes are needed in the medical community:
- Use plain language instead of medical jargon. For example, say ”sugar” instead “glucose” when talking to diabetics.
- Use pictures and movies instead of words. Many times, it’s easier to see what a doctor means than to read about it.
- Repeat instructions and educational materials until the patient fully understands. The researchers felt that the patients should be able to explain what is meant in their own words and answer questions about the material.
Over 75 million adults in the U.S. have basic or below basic health literacy. That’s a lot of potential early deaths.
The medical community needs to make these changes now.
Technorati Tags: reading, health literacy, early death
July 27th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Even with a college degree, I can’t tell what doctors are saying most of the time.
July 27th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Unbelievable! We need plain talk and higher literacy, that’s for sure.
July 27th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Talk about an advertisement for reading is fundamental. I never knew people were dying because they couldn’t read but reading really is central to a lot of things in life so I guess we all shouldn’t be so surprised.
July 27th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
A lot of the problem with medical misunderstandings might just be how quick all the doctor appointments are today. If a doctor doesn’t have time or take the time to explain everything to a patient who can’t read well, they don’t have any other way to get the information.
July 27th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
If they can’t read well, they probably make less money which can also lead to worse health care and early death. It’s a vicious cycle.
July 27th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
I can read well, but I feel like I can’t get the information I need a lot of the times, too. I think Denise is on to something when she says doctor appointments are so quick these days that it’s hard to get all the information you need and sometimes I think of questions after I leave the doctor’s office and then it’s too late. It’s tough to understand medical terms sometimes, too, unless you work in medicine. Plain talk would help.
July 27th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
I don’t understand why these studies take so many years to be published cuz if we had the information sooner a lot more people could be helped.
July 28th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
I might not be the greatest reader but at least I don’t smoke. That oughta give me a couple extra years.
July 29th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
With older patients, it might be their ability to understand the instructions, too. If they can’t read, their education levels may not be that high and they may not be able to understand the medical talk, but also sometimes older patients get confused no matter how much education they have. It might help if the doctors and nurses made sure the patients understand, but also a family member who can help (if that’s possible).
July 29th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Low literacy can be hazardous to your health in more ways than not being able to read a prescription bottle. What if you can’t read the instructions and warnings on household cleaners, foods, appliance instructions, and things like that?
July 30th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
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