title: Health literacy and obesity among native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our purpose was to describe relationships between demographic characteristics, body mass index (BMI), and health literacy among Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders (NHPIs).
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional survey, we interviewed 364 NHPI adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used Newest Vital Sign (NVS), a health literacy tool; measured heights and weights; and demographic questions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to participants' NVS scores, 45.3% had at least a possibility of low health literacy. Lower NVS scores were associated with increased BMI (r = -0.12, p = .027) and increased age (r = -0.26, p < .001). Higher NVS scores were associated with higher incomes (r = 0.21, p = .001) and higher education (r = 0.27, p < .001). Women scored significantly better than men (t = -2.0, p = .05). Participants' NVS scores in Hawaii versus Utah were not significantly different (t = .26, p = .80).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pathways to health literacy are complex; however, age, income, education, and BMI explained a modest 19.95% of the combined variance in NVS scores. Public health nurses working to improve health literacy could include review of critical information on nutrition facts labels, frequently used calculations, and application of this information when making food choices.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Jane H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lassetter
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Sharla E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Lora Beth
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Gwen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: VanServellen
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: Elizabeth S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Hopkins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006254:Hawaii / Q000453:epidemiology; D057220:Health Literacy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044468:Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000451:nursing; D011637:Public Health Nursing; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States
keywords: Pacific Islanders; health literacy; nutrition facts label; obesity