Skip to main content

Conceptualizing the Role of Reading and Literacy in Health Information Practices

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Transforming Digital Worlds (iConference 2018)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 10766))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

This paper proposes that a focus on reading and literacy can deepen our understanding of information seeking and everyday life information practices. It conceptualizes the role of reading, readability, and literacy in health information practices as a sociotechnical system, and forms the basis for an ongoing mixed-methods study on the role of readability in the health information practices of adult emerging readers. This approach puts into question best practice guidelines for creating health information and asks what makes a useful health information document for adult emerging readers. The results of this research based on this conceptual framework will help to improve access to quality health information for members of communities that face greater health disparities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Arazy, O., Kopak, R.: On the measurability of information quality. J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci. Technol. 62(1), 89–99 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Baker, D.W., Gazmararian, J.A., Williams, M.V., Scott, T., Parker, R.M., Green, D., Ren, J., Peel, J.: Functional health literacy and the risk of hospital admission among medicare managed care enrollees. Am. J. Public Health 92(8), 1278–1283 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Berkman, N.D., Sheridan, S.L., Donahue, K.E., Halpern, D.J., Crotty, K.: Low health literacy and health outcomes: an updated systematic review. Ann. Intern. Med. 155(2), 97–107 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Chall, J.S., Dale, E.: Readability Revisited: The New Dale-Chall Readability Formula. Brookline Books, Brookline (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Dollahite, J., Thompson, C., McNew, R.: Readability of printed sources of diet and health information. Patient Educ. Couns. 27(2), 123–134 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. DuBay, W.H.: The Principles of Readability. Impact Information, Costa Mesa (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Eysenbach, G., Kohler, C.: How do consumers search for and appraise health information on the world wide web? Qualitative study using focus groups, usability tests, and in-depth interviews. Br. Med. J. 324(7337), 573–577 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Federal Plain Language Guidelines. www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/guidelines/bigdoc/fullbigdoc.pdf. Accessed 18 Sept 2017

  9. Feng, L., Elhadad, N., Huenerfauth, M.: Cognitively motivated features for readability assessment. In: Proceedings of the 12th Conference of the European Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics, pp. 229–237. Association for Computational Linguistics, Athens (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Flesch, R.: A new readability yardstick. J. Appl. Psychol. 32(3), 221 (1948)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Giddens, A.: The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration. University of California Press, Berkeley (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Health Literacy Online: A Guide for Simplifying the User Experience. https://health.gov/healthliteracyonline/. Accessed 18 Sept 2017

  13. Hilligoss, B., Rieh, S.Y.: Developing a unifying framework of credibility assessment: construct, heuristics, and interaction in context. Inf. Process. Manag. 44(4), 1467–1484 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. How to write Easy-to-Read Health Materials. https://medlineplus.gov/etr.html#assess. Accessed 18 Sept 2017

  15. Howard, D.H., Gazmararian, J., Parker, R.M.: The impact of low health literacy on the medical costs of medicare managed care enrollees. Am. J. Med. 118(4), 371–377 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Huber, J.T., Shapiro, R.M., Gillaspy, M.L.: Top down versus bottom up: the social construction of the health literacy movement. Libr. Q. 82(4), 429–451 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kim, W., Kreps, G.L., Shin, C.N.: The role of social support and social networks in health information–seeking behavior among Korean Americans: a qualitative study. Int. J. Equity Health 14(1), 40 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Kindig, D.A., Panzer, A.M., Nielsen-Bohlman, L. (eds.): Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion. National Academies Press, Washington, DC (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Klare, G.R.: Readability. Handb. Read. Res. 1, 681–744 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Koh, H.K., Berwick, D.M., Clancy, C.M., Baur, C., Brach, C., Harris, L.M., Zerhusen, E.G.: New federal policy initiatives to boost health literacy can help the nation move beyond the cycle of costly ‘crisis care’. Health Aff. (2012). https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2011.1169

  21. Leonardi, P.M.: Theoretical foundations for the study of sociomateriality. Inf. Organ. 23(2), 59–76 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Marshall, L.A., Williams, D.: Health information: does quality count for the consumer? How consumers evaluate the quality of health information materials across a variety of media. J. Librariansh. Inf. Sci. 38(3), 141–156 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. McLaughlin, G.H.: SMOG grading-a new readability formula. J. Read. 12(8), 639–646 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Redish, J.: Readability formulas have even more limitations than Klare discusses. ACM J. Comput. Doc. (JCD) 24(3), 132–137 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Savolainen, R.: Everyday life information seeking: approaching information seeking in the context of “way of life”. Libr. Inf. Sci. Res. 17(3), 259–294 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Schriver, K.A.: Readability formulas in the new millennium: what’s the use? ACM J. Comput. Doc. 24(3), 138–140 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Sørensen, K., Van den Broucke, S., Fullam, J., Doyle, G., Pelikan, J., Slonska, Z., Brand, H.: Health literacy and public health: a systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health 12(1), 1 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Stvilia, B., Gasser, L., Twidale, M.B., Smith, L.C.: A framework for information quality assessment. J. Assoc. Inf. Sci. Technol. 58(12), 1720–1733 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Tuominen, K., Savolainen, R., Talja, S.: Information literacy as a sociotechnical practice. Libr. Q. 75(3), 329–345 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Walsh, T.M., Volsko, T.A.: Readability assessment of internet-based consumer health information. Respir. Care 53(10), 1310–1315 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Wiegand, W.A.: Out of sight out of mind: why don’t we have any schools of library and reading studies? J. Educ. Libr. Inf. Sci. 38(4), 314–326 (1997)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Miraida Morales .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Morales, M., Wacholder, N. (2018). Conceptualizing the Role of Reading and Literacy in Health Information Practices. In: Chowdhury, G., McLeod, J., Gillet, V., Willett, P. (eds) Transforming Digital Worlds. iConference 2018. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10766. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78105-1_55

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78105-1_55

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-78104-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-78105-1

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics