title: Understanding the influence of educational attainment on kidney health and opportunities for improved care.
abstract: Educational attainment is an important but often overlooked contributor to health outcomes in patients with kidney disease. Those with lower levels of education have an increased risk of ESRD, complications of peritoneal dialysis, worse transplant outcomes, and mortality. Mediators of these associations are poorly understood but involve a complex interplay between health knowledge, behaviors, and socioeconomic and psychosocial factors. Interventions targeting these aspects of care have the potential to reduce disparities related to educational attainment; however, few programs have been described that specifically address this issue. Future research efforts should not only systematically assess level of educational attainment but also report the differential impact of interventions across educational strata. In addition, routine measurement of health literacy may be useful to identify high-risk patients independent of years of schooling. A better understanding of the influence of educational attainment on kidney health provides an opportunity to improve the care and outcomes of vulnerable patients with kidney disease.
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA; Geisinger Center for Health Research, Danville, PA; Division of Nephrology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN; and Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN. Electronic address: jgreen1@geisinger.edu.
authors.forename: Jamie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA; Geisinger Center for Health Research, Danville, PA; Division of Nephrology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN; and Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
authors.forename: Kerri L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Cavanaugh
mesh_terms: D004522:Educational Status; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D057220:Health Literacy; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Chronic kidney disease; Educational attainment; Educational program; Health literacy; Intervention