Outcome of an osteoarthritis education program for low-literacy patients taught by indigenous instructors.
A 10-h osteoarthritis education course was developed and evaluated for older low-income patients with osteoarthritis. Indigenous community leaders were trained to teach the course within inner-city neighborhoods of Hartford, Connecticut. Significant differences were obtained using a quasi-experimental group, pre/post-test design. There was a significant increase in knowledge (P less than 0.001) both on a verbal knowledge test and a picture story test (P less than 0.001). There was a significant increase in scores on an exercise scale (P less than 0.001). Attitude toward one's illness improved. There was a slight improvement in function which was not significant. Use of adaptive equipment increased as a direct result of the program. The course was well accepted and enjoyed by the participants.
D003237:Connecticut; D004522:Educational Status; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D010003:Osteoarthritis; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012107:Research Design