Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109872

Marilyn M. Gardner, PhD, Department of Public Health, Western Kentucky University, 1 Big Red Way, STH 410E, Bowling Green, KY 42101, 270.745.5864, marilyn.gardner@wku.edu, M. Susan Jones, MSN, Department of Nursing, Western Kentucky University, 1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101, and Jan Peeler, MSW, Department of Social Work, Western Kentucky University, 1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101.

In Kentucky, roughly 15 percent of the rural population is age 65 or older. Elders in rural areas are more likely to be poorer than their metropolitan counterparts, and are at risk for being underinsured or uninsured. Access to care is also limited. While rural elders are shown to have a higher rate of chronic disease conditions, they have poorer perceptions of their actual health status as well. The significant dissonance that exists between rural elder's perception of their health and their actual health status can be lessened by improving their health literacy status. Research indicates that health literacy is directly related to health outcomes, length and frequency of hospitalizations, and health care expenditures. The Health Enhancement of the Rural Elderly (HERE) project was designed to improve the health literacy of rural elderly living in two counties in south central Kentucky identified as rural and poor. During the early phases of the project, educational modules were developed, tested, and refined to address these deficiency areas identified in a needs assessment: medications; medical terminology; basic anatomy and physiology; orientation to medical forms including advance directives; and communication skills. The subsequent phases of the project focused on maximizing reach to this hard-to-reach population through distribution of health-resource guides, development and mass distribution of educational videos, and developing and fostering strong community linkages. Findings from each phase will be presented as well as the challenges, successes, and lessons learned from this project.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, participants will be able to

• state the challenges inherent in reaching the rural elderly
• discuss how tailored educational messages in improving the health literacy of the rural elderly
• assess effectiveness of distribution channels to reach rural elderly

Keywords: Rural Health, Health Literacy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation