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National Prevention Summit:
Prevention, Preparedness, and Promotion

October 26 and 27, 2006
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C.

Moderator

Cynthia Baur, Ph.D.
Senior Health Communication and e-Health Advisor, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of the Secretary

Presentations

ASK ME 3: A SOLUTION-BASED INITIATIVE FOR CLEARER HEALTH COMMUNICATION

Anita Boles, M.P.A.
Partnership for Clear Health Communication, Washington, DC

Health literacy is defined as the ability to read, understand, and act on health information. Because clear communication is the foundation for patients to be able to understand and act on health information, the Partnership for Clear Health Communication launched its first solution-based initiative, Ask Me 3, in 2003. Now 3 years into the program, more than one million Ask Me 3 brochures and materials have been distributed to nearly 2,000 organizations.

Ask Me 3 is a quick, effective tool designed to improve health communication between patients and healthcare providers. It promotes three simple but essential questions that patients should ask their providers in every healthcare interaction, and providers should always encourage their patients to understand the answers to:

1. What is my main problem?
2. What do I need to do?
3. Why is it important for me to do this?

During the past year, Pfizer grants were given to four universities and the American Academy of Family Physicians to evaluate the Ask Me 3 program in clinical settings with diverse populations. Although the findings have yet to be released (they should be available this fall), preliminary findings showed a high rate of satisfaction among both patients and providers with using Ask Me 3 to improve communication. Usage rates by patients varied once they were introduced to the Ask Me 3 questions, and there were some mixed results in other areas (recall of the three questions and rate of filling prescriptions, among others).

In conclusion,

• Ask Me 3 was found to be a simple approach for activating patients to ask questions.
• The program was supported by many national and local organizations across the country.
• Research on the effectiveness of Ask Me 3 gave mixed results.
• More research is needed, especially in the area of impact on health outcomes.

DRUG INFORMATION: POWERED BY PARTNERSHIPS

Marsha B. Henderson, MCRP
Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, MD

Medicines have risks and benefits. More than half of those who take medicines do not take them as prescribed. Serious complications (i.e., more doctor visits, hospitalization, lost wages, and even death) can occur or be prevented. Educating the public about their medicines can also prevent complications from disease and infection. This presentation will provide an overview of the innovative partnership model used to distribute easy-to-read information (in English, Spanish, and 15 additional languages) about medication safety.

Health information is all around us, but not all of it is credible. Direct-to-consumer advertising teaches us that we have choices, but it provides only one. We look to women who often play this vital role for themselves and their families. The Medicines To Help You project was designed to provide easy-to-read (fourth to sixth grade) materials on the risks and benefits of medications. Since inception of the project, approximately 30 million consumers have been reached with factsheets and guides. FDA's partners for the Take Time to Care Campaign have reprinted, distributed, and translated materials at their own expense for consumers. Professional associations also provided expert counseling on drug safety at urban, rural, and Indian reservation sites. An independent national consumer's survey by Merck-Medco of the first campaign to keep a record of all medicines showed an overall satisfaction rating of 98.6 percent.

This speaker will review the unique challenges of translating science-based risk information into language accessible to consumers with varying backgrounds and literacy levels. The speaker will describe the newest campaign: a series of charts listing all medicines approved for depression, smoking cessation, hypertension, lipid control, contraception, hormone replacement therapy, and HIV/AIDS. Discussion also will include strategies used in working with partners ranging from chain drug stores, to "Dear Abby," to Las Vegas casinos.

THE HOME SAFETY LITERACY PROJECT: REACHING UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS WITH DISASTER PREPAREDNESS MESSAGES

Angela D. Mickalide, Ph.D., CHES
Home Safety Council, Washington, DC

The Home Safety Literacy Project (HSLP) was developed by the Home Safety Council (HSC) to provide effective, low-cost fire safety and disaster preparedness education materials that can be used by adults at all reading levels. The materials are highly illustrated with minimal text written in Plain English style. In addition to their own increased risk of injury at home, adults with low literacy skills are often the caregivers for older adults, young children, and people with disabilities—groups particularly vulnerable to injury. HSLP, which is partially funded by HSC, also received support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2003 and 2004. HSC's national project partners include ProLiteracy Worldwide and Oklahoma State University's Fire Protection Publications.

HSC conducted two separate evaluations. In the formative evaluation, literacy providers and the fire service in seven urban and rural communities were selected as locations to pilot test the delivery strategy and initial fire safety materials for HSL. In the summative evaluation, 15 urban and rural areas of the United States were selected to help HSC conduct a summative evaluation of HSLP; an additional 15 sites served as controls. Data have been collected and will be shared in October. HSC developed several levels (e.g., pictographs, two readers, tabloids) and types (e.g., posters, tearpads, brochures) of materials.

In Phase 1, 6,000 literacy programs and 3,000 members of the Expert Network received the fire safety materials. Beginning in May 2006, more than 15,000 HSLP kits containing vital fire and disaster preparedness messages were sent to fire departments and literacy programs nationwide. HSPL recently won the 2006 Health Literacy Award from the Institute for Healthcare Advancement. All materials are available free of charge ($10 shipping fee) through the HSC's Expert Network.

QUICK GUIDE TO HEALTH LITERACY FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Stacy Robison, M.P.H.
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of the Secretary, Rockville, MD

Everyone has the right to reliable, understandable information that could make a difference in their overall well-being. Yet many Americans do not have the skills they need to obtain, interpret, and use health information effectively. According to the Institute of Medicine, approximately one-half of the adult population lacks the needed literacy skills to use the U.S. healthcare system. Low literacy has been linked to poor health outcomes such as higher rates of hospitalization and less frequent use of preventive services. It is critical that health professionals consider health literacy skills in their research and practice.

To date, responses to the problem of low health literacy have focused on individual-level factors that create barriers to improved health literacy. Although these efforts are critical, improving health literacy requires systemic changes to public health practice. The Quick Guide to Health Literacy, developed by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, contains information for health professionals on how to incorporate health literacy improvement into health promotion practice. The strategies in the Quick Guide reflect the current body of research in health literacy and health communication, including the use of plain language, culturally and linguistically appropriate communication, user-centered design for information and services, evaluation of communication effectiveness, and advocacy. The Quick Guide to Health Literacy includes tools for health professionals to assess the impact of health literacy on their programs, policies, and evaluation activities and identify appropriate systems-level interventions to improve health literacy.

For questions or more information, please contact summit@hhs.gov.

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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