Assessing health literacy levels of Spanish-speaking Hispanic patients in Spanish at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in the Midwest.
Evaluate health literacy levels in Spanish-speaking Hispanic adults accessing health care services in the Midwest.



Cross-sectional study of patients (n = 402) at two Midwestern federally qualified health centers. The assessment tool used in this study contained the Short Assessment of Health Literacy-S.



A total of 36% of the participants had a low health literacy level (LHLL). Forty-five percent of males versus 31% of females demonstrated LHLL (p &lt; .05). With respect to education level, 61% with less than a 7th grade education had LHLL compared with 17% with 7th grade education or more (p &lt; .05). Additionally, 29% of the participants of Mexican origin had LHLL contrasted with 55% of the participants of non-Mexican origin (p &lt; .05).



Low levels of health literacy reported in this study are consistent with previous assessments. We observed statistically significant differences in LHLL based on gender, education level, and country of origin.
Armando
A
De Alba
Denise H
DH
Britigan
Elizabeth
E
Lyden
Patrik
P
Johansson
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D057220:Health Literacy; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans