title: Using educational games to promote the seeking of a pharmacist and to teach key medication use messages: results from an inner city health party.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low health literacy affects 80-90 million Americans with low-income, minority populations being more vulnerable to this condition. One method of addressing limited literacy that may be particularly well accepted within vulnerable populations is the use of educational board games in order to emphasize seeking health information from reliable sources such as pharmacists.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The research objective was to determine if the use of educational board games could impact community pharmacy patron intentions to seek pharmacist advice in an urban, minority, economically-disadvantaged population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four medication-related educational games were played at an urban community pharmacy under the leadership of pharmacy students in the setting of a health party. Game messages, design, and evaluation processes were uniquely guided by community members' input. A verbally administered questionnaire measured game impact via knowledge and perception questions with responses compared between a non-randomly allocated intervention group and a control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-nine adults were included in the intervention (or game) group and 94 adults were in the control group. Game participants were significantly more likely than the control group to indicate they would seek pharmacist medication advice in the future.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Educational board games played in the setting of a health party can be a fun and effective way to convey selected health messages within an urban, minority, economically disadvantaged population. Community input into game development and layering multiple strategies for overcoming health literacy barriers were essential components of this initiative.
authors: University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, 428 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Electronic address: kburg@umich.edu.
authors: Kyle J
authors: KJ
authors: Burghardt
authors: Margo R
authors: MR
authors: Bowman
authors: Maho
authors: M
authors: Hibino
authors: Barima K
authors: BK
authors: Opong-Owusu
authors: Tiffany D
authors: TD
authors: Pokora
authors: Katherine
authors: K
authors: Reeves
authors: Kellie M
authors: KM
authors: Vile
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002947:Cities; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D054525:Minority Health; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D010595:Pharmacists; D011203:Poverty; D014504:Urban Health; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations
keywords: Community pharmacy; Health literacy; Urban health