Health literacy, information seeking, and trust in information in Haitians.
OBJECTIVE
To assess heath literacy, health information seeking, and trust in health-related information among Haitian immigrants seen in primary care.


METHODS
Health literacy was measured by the Brief Health Literacy Screen (BHLS); items on health information use were from the 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey.


RESULTS
BHLS scores differed according to age, education, and survey language. Participants with lower levels of health literacy tended to be more likely to place "a lot" or "some" trust in family and friends and religious organizations and leaders as sources of information about health or medical topics.


CONCLUSIONS
Constructing a culturally-tailored and appropriate intervention regarding health promotion requires understanding how the population accesses and conveys health information.
Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at The City College of New York, Department of Community Health and Social Medicine, New York, NY, USA. lubetkin@med.cuny.edu.
Erica I
EI
Lubetkin
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, New York, NY, USA.
Emily C
EC
Zabor
Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, The City College of New York, Department of Psychology, New York, NY, USA.
Kathleen
K
Isaac
Division of Ambulatory Care, Department of Medicine, Queens Hospital Center, Jamaica, NY, USA.
Debra
D
Brennessel
Queens Cancer Center, Queens Hospital Center, Jamaica, NY, USA.
M Margaret
MM
Kemeny
Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, New York, NY, USA.
Jennifer L
JL
Hay
D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006205:Haiti / Q000208:ethnology; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City / Q000208:ethnology; D035502:Trust