Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697631459163.pdf (Australia)
INQUIRY INTO ADULT LITERACY, NUMERACY AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS IN AUSTRALIA SUBMISSION FROM THE SYDNEY HEALTH LITERACY LAB DR DANIELLE MUSCAT & PROFESSOR KIRSTEN MCCAFFERY Adult literacy and its importanceSubmission 67 Adult literacy and its importanceSubmission 67 Adult literacy and its importanceSubmission 67 Document Title (adjust in Document Properties) Report Executive summary • Adult basic education classes offer a practical and effective vehicle through which some of the most disadvantaged community members can engage in the development of their LLN skills in ways that also enhance their health literacy.
• Our program which was developed in partnership with NSW Health, NPS Medicinewise and the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission provided a standardised health education curriculum that addressed state/national health priorities.

• Participants in our adult health literacy program improved health literacy and question asking skills to support shared health decision making.

Improvements in some outcomes were retained at 6 months.
• Adult education teachers universally supported the program reporting students found it relevant and engaging.

• Students reported in qualitative interviews that they shared their learnings with their families (children and parents) and friends suggesting intergenerational learnings from the program.

• Adult basic education programs are a feasible and effective setting for improving health literacy at a community level.
Learners, who are often from socially- disadvantaged groups, engage enthusiastically with health content which they perceive to be relevant and important to their lives, and report building skills and confidence for health.

What is health literacy?


Health literacy is defined as the capacity to acquire, understand, and use information in ways that promote and maintain good health (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2019; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000), and it has a well-established association with health outcomes independent of other known risk factors (Berkman, Sheridan, Donahue, Halpern, & Crotty, 2011).
Extensive research shows that adults with limited health literacy skills are less able to engage in preventive health-care, are more likely to develop chronic illnesses (Bennett, Chen, Soroui, & White, 2009), experience greater difficulties managing illnesses, and have higher rates of mortality (Berkman et al., 2011).
The cost of low Page 4 Adult literacy and its importanceSubmission 67 Adult literacy and its importanceSubmission 67 Adult literacy and its importanceSubmission 67 Adult literacy and its importanceSubmission 67 Document Title (adjust in Document Properties) Adult basic education classes offer a practical and effective vehicle through which some of the most disadvantaged community members can engage in the development of their LLN skills in ways that also enhance their health literacy.
Adult basic education programs are an appropriate setting for improving health literacy at a community level.

Learners, who are often from socially- disadvantaged groups, engage enthusiastically with health content which they perceive to be relevant and important to their lives, and report building skills and confidence for health.

References 1.

Muscat, D., Morony, S., Shepherd, H., Smith, S., Dhillon, H., Trevena, L., Hayen, A., Luxford, K., Nutbeam, D., & McCaffery, K. (2015).
Development and field testing of a consumer shared decision-making training program for adults with low literacy.

Patient Education and Counseling, 98(10), 1180–1188.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2015.07.023 2.

Muscat, D., Smith, S., Dhillon, H., Morony, S., Davis, E., Luxford, K., Shepherd, H., Hayen, A., Comings, J., Nutbeam, D., & McCaffery, K. (2016).

Incorporating health literacy in education for socially disadvantaged adults: an Australian feasibility study.
International Journal for Equity in Health, 15(1), 84–84.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939- 016-0373-1 3.

McCaffery, K., Morony, S., Muscat, D., Smith, S., Shepherd, H., Dhillon, H., Hayen, A., Luxford, K., Meshreky, W., Comings, J., & Nutbeam, D. (2016).

Evaluation of an Australian health literacy training program for socially disadvantaged adults attending basic education classes: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

BMC Public Health, 16(1), 454–454.


https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3034-9 4.

Muscat, D., Morony, S., Smith, S., Shepherd, H., Dhillon, H., Hayen, A., Trevena, L., Luxford, K., Nutbeam, D., & McCaffery, K. (2017).

Qualitative insights into the experience of teaching shared decision making within adult education health literacy programmes for lower-literacy learners.

Health Expectations : an International Journal of Public Participation in Health Care and Health Policy, 20(6), 1393–1400.
https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.12580 Page 8 Adult literacy and its importanceSubmission 67 Document Title (adjust in Document Properties) 5.

Muscat, D., Shepherd, H., Nutbeam, D., Morony, S., Smith, S., Dhillon, H., Trevenal, L., Hayen, A., Luxford, K., & McCaffery, K. (2017).

Developing Verbal Health Literacy with Adult Learners Through Training in Shared Decision-Making.

Health Literacy Research and Practice, 1(4), e257–e268.

https://doi.org/10.3928/24748307-20171208-02 6.


Morony, S., Lamph, E., Muscat, D., Nutbeam, D., Dhillon, H., Shepherd, H., Smith, S., Khan, A., Osborne, J., Meshreky, W., Luxford, K., Hayen, A., & McCaffery, K. (2018).

Improving health literacy through adult basic education in Australia.

Health Promotion International, 33(5), 867–877.

https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/dax028 7.


McCaffery, K., Morony, S., Muscat, D., Hayen, A., Shepherd, H., Dhillon, H., Smith, S., Cvejic, E., Meshreky, W., Luxford, K., & Nutbeam, D. (2019).

Evaluation of an Australian Health Literacy Program Delivered in Adult Education Settings.

Health Literacy Research and Practice, 3(3), S42–S57.

https://doi.org/10.3928/24748307-20190402-01 8.


Muscat, D., Morony, S., Trevena, L., Hayen, A., Shepherd, H., Smith, S., Dhillon, H., Luxford, K., Nutbeam, D., & McCaffery, K. (2019).

Skills for Shared Decision-Making: Evaluation of a Health Literacy Program for Consumers with Lower Literacy Levels.

Health Literacy Research and Practice, 3(3), S58–S74.

https://doi.org/10.3928/24748307-20190408-02 9.


Muscat, D., Morony, S., Nutbeam, D., Ayre, J., Shepherd, H., Smith, S., Dhillon, H., Hayen, A., Luxford, K., Meshreky, W., & McCaffery, K. (2020).

Learners’ experience and perceived impact of a health literacy program in adult basic education: a qualitative study.

Public Health Research & Practice, 30(2).

https://doi.org/10.17061/phrp29231909 Page 9 Adult literacy and its importanceSubmission 67