title: Health promotion in pediatric primary care: importance of health literacy and communication practices.
abstract: Health literacy has been shown to predict health behaviors and outcomes above the effects of education or socioeconomic status. Much remains unknown about the health literacy of parents and the role it plays in children's health outcomes or in health disparities. The current study explored the health communication needs and health literacy indicators in a diverse sample of parents (n = 75) to identify potential areas for future interventions. The sample consisted of parents of children 18 to 36 months old who were visiting 3 different pediatric medical offices, 2 of which served low-income families and 1 located in an affluent suburb. When comparisons were made between 2 educational attainment groups, there were variations in indicators of health literacy and health communication needs. These data can be used to guide the development of interventions by primary care providers to improve parent education.
authors.affiliation: 1University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah Winders
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: V Faye
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: M Cynthia
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Logsdon
authors.forename: Lesa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Mandie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilkerson-McMahon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D057220:Health Literacy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006293:Health Promotion; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010290:Parents; D010372:Pediatrics; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: communication; health literacy; pediatrics