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Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development
Year : 2019, Volume : 10, Issue : 9
First page : ( 308) Last page : ( 312)
Print ISSN : 0976-0245. Online ISSN : 0976-5506.
Article DOI : 10.5958/0976-5506.2019.02444.6

Assessing the Future Assessors: A Health Literacy Assessment Using the Newest Vital Sign

Urval Rathnakar P1, Kamath Priyanka2,*, Urval Medha3, Gupta Kashvi4, Kamath Ashwin5

1Professor & Head, Department of Pharmacology, Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences, Deralakatte, Mangalore, Karnataka, India

2Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India

3Junior Resident, Department of General Surgery, SDM College of Medical Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka, India

4MPH Student, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

5Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India

*Corresponding author: Dr. Priyanka Kamath, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India. Email: priyanka.kamath@manipal.edu, Phone: 9880386188

Online published on 13 November, 2019.

Abstract

Background & Aim

Health literacy (HL) has been defined as the ability to obtain, process, and understand basic information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. This study aimed to determine the HL of undergraduate medical students using the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), a nutrition label-based HL tool.

Method

This was a cross-sectional study conducted among newly admitted first year medical students using the Newest Vital Sign. Following informed consent, under supervision, the participants were handed over the nutrition label with six questions. Questions were asked in sequence, and continued even if the participant did not get the first or the second question right. If a participant got the first four questions right, it was considered a sign of adequate literacy.

Results

The study involved 110 participants out of which 72 were females. Overall, 87% of the participants had adequate health literacy, 11% had a possibility of limited health literacy, and less than 2% had a likelihood of limited health literacy. The mean of the total time taken to answer the questionnaire was 9.89 ± 2.25 minutes. More than 50% of the participants answered the questionnaire in the time range of nine to eleven minutes. Only <25% participants took longer than ten minutes to solve the questionnaire.

Conclusion

It was observed that more than 85% of the participants had an adequate level of health literacy. NVS, which is based on a nutrition label, is a very simple tool, and the test can be easily administered in ten minutes.

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Keywords

Newest Vital Sign, Health Literacy, Students, Education, Time.

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