Todd Laura, Hoffman-Goetz Laurie
Department of Health Studies and Gerontology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
J Cancer Educ. 2011 Jun;26(2):326-32. doi: 10.1007/s13187-010-0162-2.
Inadequate health literacy has been identified as a barrier to the utilization of health-care services, including cancer screening. This study examined predictors of health literacy among 106 older Chinese immigrant women to Canada and how colon cancer information presented in their first versus second language affected health literacy skill. Only 38.7% of the women had adequate health literacy based on Short Test of Functional Health Literacy for Adults, and 54.3% had adequate comprehension of the colon cancer information. Comprehension of the cancer information was significantly lower among women who received the information in English compared with those who received the information in Chinese. Age, acculturation, self-reported proficiency reading English, and education were significant predictors of health literacy but varied depending on the measure of health literacy used and language of the information. Presentation of cancer prevention information in one's first rather than second language improves health literacy but does not eliminate comprehension difficulties for older ESL Chinese immigrants.
健康素养不足已被视为包括癌症筛查在内的医疗服务利用的障碍。本研究调查了106名来加拿大的中国老年移民女性的健康素养预测因素，以及用她们的第一语言和第二语言呈现的结肠癌信息如何影响健康素养技能。根据成人功能性健康素养简短测试，只有38.7%的女性具备足够的健康素养，54.3%的女性对结肠癌信息有足够的理解。与以中文接收信息的女性相比，以英文接收信息的女性对癌症信息的理解明显更低。年龄、文化适应、自我报告的英语阅读能力和教育程度是健康素养的重要预测因素，但因所使用的健康素养衡量标准和信息语言的不同而有所差异。用第一语言而非第二语言呈现癌症预防信息可提高健康素养，但并不能消除年长的英语作为第二语言的中国移民在理解上的困难。
