The roles of nurses in supporting health literacy: a scoping review

IntroductionThe importance of health literacy in achieving optimum health is highly significant, particularly in the nursing profession where it is an integral part of the roles and functions of nurses. Therefore, this scoping review aims to describe the roles of nurses in promoting patient health literacy and identify the determinant factors of health literacy in nursing practices.MethodsAn integrative search was conducted through four databases, namely, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, SAGE Journal, and PubMed, using various keyword combinations such as “health literacy,” “health information,” “patient health literacy,” “patient literacy,” and “nurses.” Furthermore, the inclusion criteria employed were peer-reviewed articles focused on the nursing profession, explicitly discussing health literacy related to nursing, and including original studies, such as cross-sectional, quasi-experimental, and qualitative studies. The selected review articles were all published between 2017 and 2022.ResultsIn total, 13 articles met the criteria and were applied in this scoping review. Most of these discuss health literacy related to nursing practice in clinical and community settings, as well as educational institutions. Health literacy is an essential aspect of professional nursing practice. Consequently, the supportive roles of nurses include acting as caregivers, facilitators, and educators to help patients overcome their literacy limitations and attain improved wellbeing.ConclusionNurses can improve the health literacy skills of patients by making health information related to their illnesses easier to access, understand, evaluate, and use. They must also recognize various factors influencing health literacy and use the factors as opportunities to optimize health literacy improvement. A health literacy approach can be applied by nurses to solve health problems and improve the quality of care for patients

THE WEAKEST LINK HYPOTHESIS FOR ADAPTIVE CAPACITY: AN EMPIRICAL TEST

Yohe and Tol (2001) built an indexing method for vulnerability based on the hypothesis that the adaptive capacity for any system facing a vector of external stresses could be explained by the weakest of eight underlying determinants – the so-called “weakest link” hypothesis. Subsequent work supported the hypothesis by analogy from other contexts, but we now offer perhaps the first attempt to explore its validity through empirical means. We estimate a structural form designed to accommodate the full range of possible interactions across determinants. The perfect complement case of the pure “weakest-link” formulation lies on one extreme, and the perfect substitute case where each determinant can compensate for all others at constant rates is the other limiting case. For vulnerability to natural disasters, infant mortality and drinking water treatment, we find qualified support for a modified weakest link hypothesis: the weakest indicator plays an important role, but is not essential because other factors can compensate (with increasing difficulty). For life expectancy, sanitation and nutrition, we find a relationship that is close to linear – the perfect substitute case where the various determinants of adaptive capacity can compensate for each other. Moreover, we find another source of diversity in the assessment of vulnerability, since the factors from which systems draw to create adaptive capacity are different for different risks.Adaptive capacity, vulnerability, weakest-link hypothesis, substitution

Education Matters for Health

Outlines how education levels influence health-related knowledge and behaviors, employment and income, and social and psychological factors, and, in turn, health outcomes. Examines how parents' education affects children's health and educational outlook

Technology-Enhanced Teaching: A Technology Acceptance Model to Study Teachers’ Intentions to Use Digital Games in the Classroom

This research to practice paper uses a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explore the factors that affect teachers’ intentions to use digital educational games in the classroom. Research shows that using computers and other digital technologies like digital games is one way to influence young people’s career aspirations and improve their digital literacy. This is particularly important as the world of work is changing and emerging jobs becoming more intensive in their use of digital technologies. In the developing world and in particular Nigeria, there have been calls to improve the digital literacy skills of young people to help them make informed career choices, and fully participate effectively and equally in the digital world. However, many of the computing and digital technology education initiatives have not produced the positive results intended. The lack of awareness, readiness and buy-in of the relevant stakeholders are some of the factors that has been identified as a barrier here. For example, for computing and digital technology-based projects in schools, the success largely depends on the support and attitude of teachers. As one of the major stakeholders in the classroom, teachers need to be consulted in decisions that affect the way they deliver their lessons; especially when novel ideas and approaches that challenge tradition are introduced. It is therefore important to consider their acceptance or otherwise of digital games in the classroom. A Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was modified to include constructs previously identified by teachers that potentially influence their intention to use digital games in the classroom. The extended TAM was developed into a questionnaire and tested with 220 teachers in Nigeria. Analyses of the results show that syllabus connectedness, perceived usefulness and self-efficacy are significant predictors of the intention of teachers to adoptdigital game-based learning in the classroom. Furthermore, the teachers' demographics including experience of teaching, age and gender all mediated the intention of the teachers to use digital game-based learning. The results and findings present recommendations for school leaders and developers of digital educational games. The practical insights from this are also important here and helpful for guiding the deployment of such games particularly in areas where such technological interventions have not been used before

State of Health Equity Movement, 2011 Update Part C: Compendium of Recommendations DRA Project Report No. 11-03

State of Health Equity Movement, 2011 Update Part C: Compendium of Recommendations DRA Project Report No. 11-0

Determinants of Inter-Country Internet Diffusion Rates

This paper employs cross-sectional data from 100 countries to analyze the main determinants of inter-country Internet diffusion rates. We set up an empirical model based on strong theoretical foundations, in which we regress Internet usage on variables that capture social, economic and political differences between these countries. Our results support past findings that economic strength, infrastructure and knowledge of the English language positively affect Internet connectivity. In addition to these indicators, the openness of a country, tertiary enrollment, and income equality are found to also have a significant positive effect on Internet diffusion.internet, technological diffusion, inequality, education, English proficiency

What works? A review of actions addressing the social and economic determinants of Indigenous health

Introduction: The purpose of this paper is to review evidence relating to ‘what works’ to influence the social and economic determinants of Indigenous health, in order to reduce health inequities, and ultimately contribute to closing the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. We outline a conceptual framework for understanding how social and economic determinants influence health and wellbeing, and identify a number of key determinants of health. We review evidence relating to how each determinant is associated with Indigenous health and wellbeing, and then consider specific actions designed to improve Indigenous outcomes in each of these areas in order to determine the characteristics of successful initiatives. Based on our conceptual framework, we link successful actions which result in positive outcomes for Indigenous Australians in each of the key determinants to ultimately improving health and wellbeing and contributing towards ‘closing the gap’ in health and wellbeing. We note that many actions we consider only aim to improve the situation for Indigenous Australians in regard to that specific area (for example, education, housing) and were not devised to take direct action to improve health, even though the evidence indicates that those actions may be likely to contribute to improved health over the longer term

Women and non communicable diseases (chronic conditions)

Non-communicable diseases (cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory conditions, and musculo-skeletal conditions) are the number one cause of death and disablement for women and men globally and in Australia, with increasing recognition that women and men experience those conditions differently. This position paper examines the gender dimensions of those diseases to raise awareness, and to inform prevention and treatment guidelines. Building on the inequities for women documented in the AWHN Position Paper on Women’s Health and Wellbeing, this paper highlights the specific areas where gender blindness is occurring and the areas where change is needed. Despite the prevalence of Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among women, there has been little emphases and even less action, on the differences that women experience in these diseases. Most guidelines and policies on NCDs are gender neutral. This has meant that women with non-communicable diseases have not received the level of support and services needed to ensure the best possible outcomes or that necessary research and education into gender differences has been funded. The lack of research into gender differences and the consequent lack of education for health providers and the population generally, potentially promotes poorer outcomes for women and increases gender inequities. When there is mounting evidence that women’s experience of NCDs is different to that of men’s experience, the gender neutrality of policies, research and education programs contributes to gender inequities. The impact of NCDs on women’s lives, the differences in risk factors for women than for men and the social determinants of NCDs are highlighted. Specific risks include, that: Lung cancer is responsible for more women’s deaths than breast cancer although more women are diagnosed with breast cancer than lung cancer Mortality rates from lung cancer in women are continuing to rise while they have plateaued or are dropping among men Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) occurs at lower levels of exposure to tobacco smoking in women than men women with diabetes have a higher risk of stroke than their male counterparts women with diabetes have poorer survival after stroke than men. This paper also highlights the low rate of women in research trials and the low levels of reporting of sex-disaggregated findings. These indicate that treatment recommendations are more generalisable for males than females and the research benefits are therefore greater for men. In turn, this accords a lower status in research to women’s health. Failure to act on gender differences in non-communicable disease costs lives. It is no longer satisfactory for prevention and treatment guidelines to remain gender neutral. Leadership from governments and peak health bodies is required to drive change in both policy and research. Understanding the ways in which gender interacts with NCDs will be enhanced by explicitly mainstreaming gender in policy, research, treatment guidelines and professional and public education. This paper recommends actions that can be taken to redress these problems, and achieve gender aware, gender sensitive and gender transformative care for women. &nbsp

THE WEAKEST LINK HYPOTHESIS FOR ADAPTIVE CAPACITY: AN EMPIRICAL TEST

Yohe and Tol (2001) built an indexing method for vulnerability based on the hypothesis that the adaptive capacity for any system facing a vector of external stresses could be explained by the weakest of eight underlying determinants – the so-called “weakest link” hypothesis. Subsequent work supported the hypothesis by analogy from other contexts, but we now offer perhaps the first attempt to explore its validity through empirical means. We estimate a structural form designed to accommodate the full range of possible interactions across determinants. The perfect complement case of the pure “weakest-link” formulation lies on one extreme, and the perfect substitute case where each determinant can compensate for all others at constant rates is the other limiting case. For vulnerability to natural disasters, infant mortality and drinking water treatment, we find qualified support for a modified weakest link hypothesis: the weakest indicator plays an important role, but is not essential because other factors can compensate (with increasing difficulty). For life expectancy, sanitation and nutrition, we find a relationship that is close to linear – the perfect substitute case where the various determinants of adaptive capacity can compensate for each other. Moreover, we find another source of diversity in the assessment of vulnerability, since the factors from which systems draw to create adaptive capacity are different for different risks.Adaptive capacity, vulnerability, weakest-link hypothesis, substitution

Cultivating Partnerships/Realizing Diversity

Academic librarians should not only seek methods for continuous learning about an increasingly diverse college student body, they are encouraged to pursue partnerships with campus agencies that work directly with students, especially those charged with building a diverse community of students. The authors present two examples to illustrate strategies-in-action