The impact of caregiver health literacy on healthcare outcomes for low income minority children with asthma.

The aim of this exploratory study was to assess the impact of caregiver health literacy (HL) on health care outcomes for their child with asthma. Caregiver dyads across two different healthcare delivery systems completed a battery of validated asthma outcome instruments, including the Newest Vital Sign™ as a measure of HL for the caregivers of children ages 7-18 y. Utilization history was obtained through the electronic medical record. Descriptive analysis with bivariate associations was conducted. There was no direct relationship between HL and asthma outcomes in the 34 Hispanic and African American caregiver-child dyads. However, caregiver health literacy was significantly related to language ( = 0.02). African American English-speaking caregivers, seen in an urban emergency department, demonstrated adequate health literacy. Hispanic Spanish-speaking caregivers, seeking care in a mobile asthma van, showed limited health literacy. There was no significant association between caregivers' HL and routine asthma care visits when language and child age were controlled. Assessing patient factors can identify persons at risk who need additional support to negotiate the healthcare system when providing care for a child with asthma.