POS1436-PARE HEALTH LITERACY IN ARTHRITIS CARE IN CANADA: THE PERSPECTIVE OF BIPOC MEN
Authors: E. Wang, A. Chan, K. Lendvoy, M. Canseco, E. Sayre, C. L. Koehn, T. L. Fox
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2024)

<h3>Background:</h3> Health literacy can be defined as an individual's ability to find, understand, and use information and services to support their health.[1] <h3>Objectives:</h3> The aim of this survey was to examine the intersecting effects of gender and ethnicity on health literacy, specifically for men respondents who identified as Black, Indigenous or Person of colour (BIPOC). <h3>Methods:</h3> Arthritis Consumer Experts conducted a 40-question online Survey (June 1- 25, 2023) in English and French. Respondents answered questions regarding sociodemographic information, understanding health information, communication with care providers, self-care behaviours and gaining knowledge. Data were analyzed in two subgroups (i.e., BIPOC men vs white men; Black men vs Indigenous men vs POC men) and aggregate (including incomplete survey responses). Chi-square tests (exact tests where possible) were used to test for associations. <h3>Results:</h3> A total of 1,148 respondents completed the survey; 449 (39%) of whom identified as BIPOC. Over half, 236 (53%) BIPOC respondents identified as men. When comparing age, more BIPOC men (85%) were born after 1970, when compared to white men (49%). In terms of education, more BIPOC men (72%) were colleague educated, when compared to white men (51%). [Table 1] intersectional analysis revealed that BIPOC men reported greater understanding of health information online, in media and in conversation when compared to white men. Yet, BIPOC men seemed to experience greater barriers when communicating with health care providers. When asked if they felt listened to by health care providers, BIPOC men (17%) selected "always" less frequently compared to white men (23%). BIPOC men (11%) received similar levels of encouragement from health care providers when compared to white men (14%). However, when the data were disaggregated, clear differences were seen for Indigenous men who reported lower levels of listening (11%) and encouragement (6%) compared to Black and POC men. When asked about decision making around self-care, BIPOC men reported disproportionate challenges. For instance, fewer BIPOC men vs white men "fully" understood medication instructions (28% vs 59%), including how much and when to take medications (33% vs 70%), and reported greater challenges taking medications as prescribed (23% vs 4%). Similar trends were seen for exercise purpose and how to participate in exercise, as well as nutrition purpose. As the data were further examined, it became clear that Indigenous men faced even greater barriers to self-care across medication, exercise, and nutrition when compared to Black and POC men. Amongst BIPOC men, workshops (53%) and support meetings (60%) were popular. Interestingly, BIPOC men reported being less likely to ask others for help when compared to white men (11% vs 38%). Instead, BIPOC men vs white men were more interested in 1-on-1 counselling (42% vs 18%) and online communities (52% vs 19%) for gaining knowledge. <h3>Conclusion:</h3> More work is needed to tailor arthritis care and policy to support health literacy in underserved intersectional groups who continue to face unique challenges to communication, self-care, and gaining knowledge. <h3>REFERENCES:</h3> [1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). What is health literacy? Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/learn/index.html#:~:text=These%20definitions%20are%20a%20change,to%20make%20appropriate%20health%20decisions.%E2%80%9D. <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> <b>NIL.</b> <h3>Disclosure of Interests:</h3> <b>None declared.</b>