Michielutte R, Alciati M H, el Arculli R
J Health Care Poor Underserved. 1999 Aug;10(3):281-97. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2010.0585.
Low literacy may be an important predictor of increased cancer risk and poor participation in cancer control programs. Results of the National Adult Literacy Survey indicate that about 90 million individuals, slightly less than half of the U.S. adult population, demonstrate low or limited literacy skills. In contrast, the average health education brochure, pamphlet, or instruction sheet requires a 10th-grade or higher level of reading ability to be understood. Guidelines exist for the development of more readable printed materials; studies have also found that nonprint approaches such as video education are viable alternatives to printed materials. Research on patient populations indicates that educational approaches targeted to low-literacy groups can be effective in reaching individuals with cancer control information. This review identifies the most important areas of needed research and makes recommendations for the development of a research agenda on cancer control and literacy.
低文化水平可能是癌症风险增加以及参与癌症控制项目程度低的一个重要预测因素。全国成人识字调查结果表明，约9000万人，略少于美国成年人口的一半，表现出低水平或有限的识字技能。相比之下，普通的健康教育手册、 pamphlet（此处可能是“小册子”之类的词，原文拼写有误，暂按此理解）或说明书需要十年级或更高的阅读能力才能看懂。已有关于开发更易读印刷材料的指南；研究还发现，视频教育等非印刷方法是印刷材料的可行替代方案。针对患者群体的研究表明，针对低文化水平群体的教育方法在向个人传达癌症控制信息方面可能有效。本综述确定了所需研究的最重要领域，并就制定癌症控制与识字研究议程提出了建议。
