Clinical trial NCT03973606: Assessment of the Health Literacy Among Arab Women in East Jerusalem
Official title: Assessment of the Health Literacy Among Arab Women in East Jerusalem
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Health Literacy
Cardiovascular Diseases
Keywords: Health literacy
East Jerusalem
Focus groups
Arabic Women
Lead sponsor: Hadassah Medical Organization
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2019-06-04
Enrollment: 200
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 85
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Intervention model description: A 4-sessions workshop to improve health literacy among Arab women in Israel, with pre-post evaluation.
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: This is a two-stage study: The objective of the first stage is to explore health literacy (HL) needs and preferences of Arab women through conducting Focus Group Discussions (FGDs).

The second stage will employ conducting a HL intervention tailored to the participants' needs and preferences as presented in the FGDs. Objectives include increasing the percentage of women who utilize patient-doctor communication skills and increasing their cardiovascular disease (CVD) knowledge.The intervention consists of four sessions that will be conducted in municipality-sponsored women's groups in Jerusalem and other Arab communities. Questionnaires will be completed before and three months after the intervention. The study answers the following: Can HL workshops improve patient-doctor communication skills and CVD knowledge in Arab women.

Detailed description: Arab women in Israel are at high risk of low health literacy due to lower levels of education and low socio-economic status. Health literacy (HL) refers to the skills and competencies enabling people to obtain and interpret health information and apply their knowledge to inform health-related decision-making. It's also defined as "the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, understand, and process basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions".

The objective of the first stage of the study is to explore health literacy needs and preferences of Arab women through conducting Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with women in East Jerusalem. Six different focus groups will be conducted at three of the six municipality community centers in East Jerusalem. Participants will be recruited through identified community centers.

Each group will meet once for up to two hours. The study will be explained to them by an investigator who has been trained in the administration of focus groups, and they will be asked to sign a consent form. Discussions will be recorded without the names of the participants (they will be instructed not to use their names once the recording begins). At the end of the meeting, each participant will receive a bag and pamphlets with information regarding women's health.

The second stage will employ conducting a HL intervention tailored to the participants' needs and preferences as presented in the FGDs. Objectives include increasing the percentage of women who utilize patient-doctor communication skills and increasing their cardiovascular disease (CVD) knowledge.The intervention consists of four sessions that will be conducted in municipality-sponsored women's groups in Jerusalem and other Arab communities. Questionnaires will be completed before and three months after the intervention. The study answers the following: Can HL workshops improve patient-doctor communication skills and CVD knowledge in Arab women.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* All women aged 18-85 that attend and participate in the community's women's groups
* They must speak Arabic

Exclusion Criteria:

* Not in the age range of 18-85.
* Do not speak Arabic.

Primary outcomes:
measure: assessment of health literacy level and elucidate factors that will improve health literacy (barriers, incentives, etc.…) among Arab women in East Jerusalem
timeFrame: within 6 months
measure: Change in cardiovascular disease knowledge
timeFrame: At baseline and three months after intervention
measure: Change in perceived efficacy in patient-physician interaction
timeFrame: At baseline and three months after intervention
measure: Change in remembering doctor's recommendations and reading blood test results
timeFrame: At baseline and three months after intervention
measure: change in health literacy
timeFrame: At baseline and three months after intervention
measure: Change in preparation for doctor's visit
timeFrame: At baseline and three months after intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in Self-Rated Status of Health (SRH)
timeFrame: At baseline and three months after intervention
measure: Change in perceived efficacy in reading and understanding the instruction for taking medications
timeFrame: At baseline and three months after intervention
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Jerusalem
country: Israel
facility: Beit-Safafa community center
Study officials:
affiliation: Hadassah Medical Organization
name: Donna Zwas, MD MPH
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Maly RC, Frank JC, Marshall GN, DiMatteo MR, Reuben DB. Perceived efficacy in patient-physician interactions (PEPPI): validation of an instrument in older persons. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998 Jul;46(7):889-94. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1998.tb02725.x.