300090
“I Can't Figure it Out:” The Impact of Health Literacy on Weight Management Decisions among African American Women
Methods: This mixed method study included seven focus groups and a survey of 413 African American women. Health literacy (HL) was assessed with the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM). Binary logistic regression analyses examined the association between HL category and sources of dieting information, weight loss methods, and information needed to lose weight. Thematic analysis was used to analyze focus group data.
Results: Based on REALM score, 72% had AHL and 28% had LHL. Mean BMI was 29.60±SD=7.57. Women with limited health literacy (LHL) were significantly more likely to have a higher BMI than those with AHL (P<.05). Women with AHL were significantly more likely to rely on information from internet (P < .001), but less likely to rely on information from television (P <.05). They are significantly more likely to participate in physical activity to lose weight (P=<.002). In addition, women with AHL were significantly less likely to want information on portion control (P=.002). Major qualitative themes were: the importance of television and the Internet as major sources of health information, the use of healthy and unhealthy weight loss methods, and being overwhelmed by the plethora of dieting information.
Conclusion: Weight management messages and interventions should be tailored to women with different HL levels.
Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and preventionPublic health or related education
Learning Objectives:
Identify sources of weight loss information for African-American women
Analyze how African-American women's varying levels of health literacy affect weight loss
Keyword(s): Health Literacy, African American
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have an extensive background in public health, specifically engaging in research as a principal investigator or co-investigator focusing on obesity and weight management among minority populations. My scientific interests include focusing on gender health disparities, health education technology, qualitative and mixed methods research, and community engagement.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.