In 1992, 26% of adults in NALS Level 1 reported physical, mental, or other health conditions that prevented them from participating fully in work, school, and other activities.
The relationship between adults' health conditions and their literacy skills varies depending on the condition. Adults with conditions such as hearing difficulty, a speech disability, a learning disability, or mental retardation have Level 1 skills. Adults with other conditions have level 2 skills.
In a 1993-94 study conducted at two public hospitals, 23.6% of patients with inadequate functional health literacy did not know how to take medication four times a day, compared to 9.4% with marginal functional health literacy and 4.5% with adequate functional health literacy. 81.1% of patients with inadequate functional health literacy did not understand the rights and responsibilities section of a Medicaid application, compared to 31.0% with marginal functional health literacy and 7.3% with adequate functional health literacy. In a 1995-6 study of the relationship of literacy to asthma knowledge:
93% with a high school graduate reading level 80% with a 7-8th grade reading level 63% with a 4-6th grade reading level 89% with a high school graduate reading level 77% with a 7-8th grade reading level 59% with a 4-6th grade reading level (Williams, p1011) Literacy Promotion in Healthcare Settings A literacy promotion study in a primary care setting with low-income Hispanic parents of healthy 5-11 month old infants found that:
In the same study, it was found that the likelihood of parents reading to their child three or more days a week was:
A literacy promotion study, conducted in a primary care setting with a multicultural group of low-income families, found that:
20% of Medicare beneficiaries with 0-8 years of schooling reported that they knew all or most of the Medicare information they needed. This compares to:
In 1998:
Benefit payments (in millions) of Medicare beneficiaries with 0-8 years of schooling was $44,010 compared to:
In a 1997 study of community-dwelling Medicare enrollees in a national managed care organization:
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