Health Literacy: Empowering Communities for Better Health Decisions

“Health Literacy is a stronger predictor of individual’s health status than

income, employment, status and racial or ethnic group.”

HEALTH LITERACY is the ability to access, understand, and use health

information to make good health decisions. It means more than being able to
access web sites, read pamphlets and follow prescribed health-seeking
behaviours. It includes the ability to think critically about, as well as the ability
to interact and express personal and societal needs for promoting health.
According to WHO it can be defined as “representing the personal
knowledge and competencies that accumulate through daily activities, social
interactions and across generations. Personal knowledge and competencies are
mediated by the organizational structures and availability of resources that
enable people to access, understand, appraise, and use information and
services in ways that promote and maintain good health and well-being for
themselves and those around them.”
Health literacy is recognized not only as an individual trait or risk factor
for poorer health outcomes, but also as an asset or characteristic related to
families, communities, and organizations that provide health and social
services. Viewed as an asset, health literacy offers a means to empower
individuals and communities to exert greater control over their health.

WHY HEALTH LITERACY IS IMPORTANT ?

It is important as it
) Improves access to health information, allowing individuals to better
navigate the healthcare system.
2) Improved Decision Making: Individuals may consider the advantages
and cons of medical decisions, resulting in greater outcomes and
satisfaction.
3) Promoting awareness of preventative measures such as vaccinations,
proper food, exercise, and early screenings can minimize the risk of chronic
illnesses.
4) Strengthening Community Health When people in a community have
high health literacy, the community becomes more aware of public health
concerns including sanitation, mental health, and nutrition.
5) Reducing health disparities.
 6) Encourages collaborative decision-making among patients and
healthcare professionals.
Why is it important to improve health literacy ?
Health literacy necessitates universal and equal access to quality
education and lifelong learning. Health literacy is linked to other health
determinants (such as education, income, area-based indicators of
socioeconomic disadvantage, and access to healthcare), which are critical
to the effectiveness of disease preventive and control programs aimed at
reducing health inequalities. It lays the groundwork for individuals or
communities to actively participate in improving their health and
pressuring the government to perform its responsibilities in addressing
health and health inequities.
Strategies to improves health Literacy :
Health literacy is influenced by a variety of societal factors, indicating that its
development and maintenance cannot rest solely on individuals. It is
imperative that all information providers, including governmental bodies, civil
society organizations, and health services, facilitate access to reliable
information that is presented in a manner that is both comprehensible and
actionable for everyone. The following strategies can be employed to enhance
health literacy:
1) Conduct Health Literacy Workshops: Engage in or host workshops aimed at
enhancing health literacy skills within the community.
2) Utilize Social Resources: Regulate the information environment and media
encompassing oral, print, broadcast, and digital formats through which
individuals’ access and utilize health information.
3) Strengthen Personal Health Literacy: Provide accurate, timely, and relevant
health and science information, alongside the implementation of health-
promoting educational curricula from early childhood through to adult
education.
4) Primary Health Care (PHC) should organize workshops at the community
level. For examples regrading vaccinations, menstrual hygiene,sex education
and regarding STDs, ETC.
5) Ensure the availability of culturally and linguistically appropriate health
information and services through monthly publications, pamphlets, and
advertisements via both digital and traditional media.
Conclusion :
In India, at least nine out of ten people lack health literacy, according to a
scoping assessment published in the journal Clinical Epidemiology and Global
Health in 2023.As a result, improving health literacy is critical to attaining a
brighter future for the health of both the community and individuals.

Creating a PowerPoint presentation on "Understanding Research Design: A

Framework for Scientific Research" involves breaking down the concept into
key components. Below is an outline for the slides, along with suggested
content for each slide.

Slide 1: Title Slide

Title: Understanding Research Design: A Framework for Scientific Research
Subtitle: An Introduction to the Key Components and Processes
Your Name
Date

Slide 2: Introduction
 Objective: To introduce the concept of research design and its
significance in scientific research.
 What is Research Design?
o It is the blueprint or plan for conducting a research study.
o Provides a framework for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting
data.
o Ensures that the research findings are reliable, valid, and
scientifically sound.

Slide 3: Key Elements of Research Design

1. Research Problem
o The central question or issue the research aims to address.
2. Literature Review
o Understanding what has already been discovered on the topic.
3. Hypothesis/Research Questions
o A clear, testable prediction or question based on the research
problem.
 4. Methodology
o The approach and techniques used to gather and analyze data.

Slide 4: Types of Research Designs

1. Descriptive Design
o Focuses on describing characteristics or phenomena.
o Example: Surveys, case studies.
2. Experimental Design
o Involves manipulation of variables to establish cause-and-effect
relationships.
o Example: Controlled experiments, randomized trials.
3. Correlational Design
o Examines relationships between variables without manipulation.
o Example: Observational studies, cross-sectional studies.
4. Qualitative Design
o Focuses on exploring phenomena through interviews, focus
groups, or ethnography.
o Example: Case studies, grounded theory.

Slide 5: Steps in Developing a Research Design

1. Defining the Problem and Objectives
o Clear articulation of the problem to be studied.
2. Literature Review
o Identifying gaps and building a theoretical framework.
3. Selecting a Research Method
o Deciding between qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods.
4. Sampling
o Choosing the subjects or units of analysis.
5. Data Collection
o Selecting the tools and techniques (surveys, interviews,
experiments).
6. Data Analysis
o Using appropriate statistical or thematic methods.
7. Drawing Conclusions
o Interpreting results and determining implications.

Slide 6: Validity and Reliability in Research Design

1. Validity
 o Ensures the research accurately reflects the real-world
phenomenon being studied.
o Types: Internal validity (cause-effect relationships), external
validity (generalizability).
2. Reliability
o The consistency of the measurement or results over time.
o Can be measured using test-retest, inter-rater reliability, etc.

Slide 7: Ethical Considerations in Research Design

 Informed Consent: Ensuring participants are aware of the nature of the
study.
 Confidentiality: Protecting the privacy of participants' data.
 Avoiding Harm: Ensuring that the study does not harm participants
physically or psychologically.
 Research Integrity: Honesty and transparency in data collection and
analysis.

Slide 8: Challenges in Research Design

 Sampling Issues: Ensuring that the sample is representative of the
population.
 Bias: Minimizing the effects of researcher bias or subjectivity.
 Confounding Variables: Identifying and controlling for variables that may
affect the results.
 Resource Constraints: Limited time, funding, or access to research
subjects.

Slide 9: Conclusion
 A well-defined research design is essential for producing valid, reliable,
and reproducible results.
 Understanding the components of research design enhances the quality
of scientific inquiry.
 Careful planning and ethical considerations are crucial for successful
research outcomes.

Slide 10: References

 Provide citations for any sources, textbooks, or articles referenced during
the presentation.
This outline offers a comprehensive overview of the research design process,
which will help guide your audience through the scientific research framework.
You can expand each point with visuals, examples, and more detailed
explanations based on your specific audience or field of research.

• Definition :Exploratory research Design is primarily Used to gain a broad

understanding of a subject when there is limited information available. It
aims to identify patterns, ideas, or hypotheses rather than testing or
confirming a hypothesis.
• Objectives : To discover insight into new areas and problems
• Characteristics : Flexible design with great versatility.
• Methodology : Uses Non Probability Sampling Techniques
No Pre Planned Analysis Techniques
Uses Methods of Expert Survey, Secondary Data and Case
Studies for Data Collection

1. Identify phenomena.
2. Bracket and interpret researcher bias and expectation.
3. Data Collection.
4. Reduction: (identification of salient or seminal points of
interpretation/description).
5. Description of themes:
a. Textural description: what participants experienced.
b. Structural Description. how participants experienced.
c. Essence of the experience. Combination of both textural and structural
descriptions.

making up the methodology of ethnographic research.

Pasindu Weerakoon
19 slides 36.3K views
9
Phenomenological Research
Phenomenological Research
A. Q.
11 slides 21.1K views
12
13
ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
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Johnson's Protection From Day 1
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Dr. Hina Kaynat
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ETHNOGRAPHY
Presented by:
society
The scope of project can vary grer
1. Selecting an Сіщоgrарhte F
STEPI
STEP2
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STEP3

1. Selecting an Ethnographic Project

2. Asking Ethnographic Questions
3. Collecting Ethnographic Data
4. Making an Ethnographic Record
5. Analyzing Ethnographic Data
6. Writing the Ethnography
7. The Ethnographic Report

give another visual diagram for the step of counducting a grounded theory
steps
Phase
• Efficient for Studying Rare Diseases : E.g Cancer or Alzheimer's disease.
Since researchers begin with individuals who already have the disease,
fewer participants are needed compared to cohort studies
(Schlesselman, 1982).
• Identifying Multiple Risk Factors : Allow to investigate multiple risk
factors for a single disease. For example, a study on lung cancer cases
can examine various exposures such as smoking, air pollution, and
occupational hazards (Checkoway et al., 2004).
• Suitable for Studying Rare Exposures with High Impact : Case-control
studies can efficiently analyze rare exposures with strong effects, such
as a link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma (Mann, 2003)
• Useful in Initial Hypothesis Generation :
• Case-control studies are particularly useful for generating hypotheses
about potential disease risk factors. While they do not establish
causation, they provide strong evidence for associations, which can then
be tested through more rigorous cohort or experimental studies
(Schlesselman, 1982).
• Incidence of disease rate among exposed
ppt on Tobacco and nocotine abuse in india with following content
1. types on drugs in this group
2.route of taking into body
3.effects on body
4. how this is caused and its process
5.sign and symptoms
6.myths in indian society about this drug abuse
7. Indian governmrnt initiative to combat this