Health Literacy: Research Outputs of the 1st vawe

ILOL has started the research project focusing on health literacy topic. Health literacy is about citizens' ability to read, understand, evaluate and use health information to make appropriate decisions about health and health care.

The importance of the topic is given by the fact that poor and insufficient communication can cause problems and lower effectiveness of health care.

The research team designed the methodology that may help to measure the level of the doctor-patient relationship. The trend in modern health care is from the paternalistic to partnerhisp type of the relationships.

The methodology was verified in a pilot quantitative study on the Czech population.

Methodology of the pilot study was based on non-random sample of adult citizens with access to the Internet, the questionnaire was placed on the Internet, the questionnaire contained only multiple-choice questions, the sample size reached 1 530 respondents, and the data were collected in August and September of 2008.

The result of 56 points accounts for an average health literacy of Czechs. The scale was 1 to 100, where 1= the lowest level.

There are significant differences in health literacy between age cohorts - the younger people, the higher health literacy.

The  least developed part of health literacy of Czechs is their willingness to communicate their dissatisfaction with the doctor or health care treatment. In this respect, no differences between age brackets occured, which indicates that old behavioral patterns still dominate.

The research project  will go on in the next years.

The research team: Marie Přibová (leader), Lubomír Exner, Petr Šťovíček, Jiří Votinský

For more detailed information about the project contact the leader of the project: marie.pribova@ilol-think-tank.eu