Functional Health Literacy and Mental Health in Urban and Rural Mothers of Children Enrolled in Early Intervention Programs

摘要

Functional health literacy, a component of health literacy, refers to the ability to read and interpret medical information. The Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA) measures the ability to read and interpret medical information. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess and compare levels of maternal functional health literacy using the S-TOFHLA and to determine whether a relationship exists between functional health literacy and symptoms of maternal mental health in a sample of mothers whose children were enrolled in early intervention programs in urban (n = 25) and suburban/rural (n = 25) Midwestern counties. Results showed that all mothers had adequate functional health literacy as determined by the S-TOFHLA. There were significant correlations between functional health literacy, annual income, and level of education, but not between functional health literacy, maternal depression, and posttraumatic stress symptom levels. Although mothers had adequate functional health literacy and their scores were not related to maternal mental health symptoms, previous research indicates that families have difficulty understanding and using early intervention program literature. The findings from the current study suggest that the difficulty parents have using early intervention program literature may not be isolated to the ability to read health-related information. Rather, the difficulty parents experience in using early intervention program literature may be due to a complex interaction between functional, interactive, and critical health literacy.