{"id":6241,"date":"2019-02-15T10:48:48","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T08:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/?p=6241"},"modified":"2019-02-26T08:45:11","modified_gmt":"2019-02-26T06:45:11","slug":"research-news-health-literacy-can-promote-older-peoples-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/research-news-health-literacy-can-promote-older-peoples-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Research news: Health literacy can promote older people\u2019s health","raw":"Research news: Health literacy can promote older people\u2019s health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>How easy is it for older individuals to understand what their doctor tells them or to evaluate whether health information in the media is reliable? A new study on older Finnish people\u2019s health literacy found that one third of 75-year-old Finns find it difficult to understand and use health-related information.<\/p>\n<div id=\"content-core\">\n<div class=\"newsitem clearfix\">\n<div id=\"parent-fieldname-text\">\n<p>The new study, conducted at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, was aimed at 75-year-old people, with the primary purpose of testing the validity of a Finnish translation of the short form the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire. As a result, the questionnaire was found to be feasible to use for research purposes in this age group. In addition, the results indicated that high health literacy can be a resource in old age.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur results,\u201d says postdoctoral researcher Johanna Eronen, \u201cshowed that those people whose health literacy was higher had better physical functioning, fewer illnesses and they were more likely to rate their health as very good than those whose health literacy was low. Consequently, low health literacy can be a risk factor for adverse health outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Health literacy means the ability to find, understand, use and assess health-related information in order to manage one\u2019s health and find adequate health services. For example, it describes how easy or difficult it is for an older person to use health information from different sources or to understand instructions given by health professionals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn our study,\u201d Eronen says, \u201cevaluating the reliability of health information in the media and using this information was often perceived as difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Research on health literacy can promote health service development<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The data for this study were collected in 2017 and 2018, and new analyses are planned for this year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis was our first study using this data and it included only participants aged 75,\u201d says Eronen. \u201cTherefore these results are only preliminary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the next study, Eronen plans to use the all of the data, which include almost one thousand people aged 75, 80 and 85. In addition to health literacy, the data include a wide array of information on the participants\u2019 health, functioning and environment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are interested to see if health literacy can promote a physically active lifestyle and active aging,\u201d Eronen says about the future plans.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, there is very little information on the health literacy of older Finns. Further research on this topic is needed and the results can be used when planning and developing health services for this population and improving health communication.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Original article: <\/strong>Johanna Eronen, Leena Paakkari, Erja Portegijs, Milla Saajanaho &amp; Taina Rantanen.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s40520-018-1104-9\">Assessment of health literacy among older Finns.<\/a>\u00a0<em>Aging Clinical and Experimental Research<\/em>\u00a021.12.2018. This study was funded by the European Research Council, the Academy of Finland and the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For more information, please contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Postdoctoral researcher Johanna Eronen, +358 40 805 3489, johanna.eronen@jyu.fi<\/li>\n<li>Communications Officer Martta Walker, +358 40 805 4717, martta.a.walker@jyu.fi<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false,"raw":"How easy is it for older individuals to understand what their doctor tells them or to evaluate whether health information in the media is reliable? A new study on older Finnish people\u2019s health literacy found that one third of 75-year-old Finns find it difficult to understand and use health-related information.\r\n<div id=\"content-core\">\r\n<div class=\"newsitem clearfix\">\r\n<div id=\"parent-fieldname-text\">\r\n\r\nThe new study, conducted at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, was aimed at 75-year-old people, with the primary purpose of testing the validity of a Finnish translation of the short form the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire. As a result, the questionnaire was found to be feasible to use for research purposes in this age group. In addition, the results indicated that high health literacy can be a resource in old age.\r\n\r\n\u201cOur results,\u201d says postdoctoral researcher Johanna Eronen, \u201cshowed that those people whose health literacy was higher had better physical functioning, fewer illnesses and they were more likely to rate their health as very good than those whose health literacy was low. Consequently, low health literacy can be a risk factor for adverse health outcomes.\u201d\r\n\r\nHealth literacy means the ability to find, understand, use and assess health-related information in order to manage one\u2019s health and find adequate health services. For example, it describes how easy or difficult it is for an older person to use health information from different sources or to understand instructions given by health professionals.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn our study,\u201d Eronen says, \u201cevaluating the reliability of health information in the media and using this information was often perceived as difficult.\u201d\r\n\r\n<strong>Research on health literacy can promote health service development<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe data for this study were collected in 2017 and 2018, and new analyses are planned for this year.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis was our first study using this data and it included only participants aged 75,\u201d says Eronen. \u201cTherefore these results are only preliminary.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor the next study, Eronen plans to use the all of the data, which include almost one thousand people aged 75, 80 and 85. In addition to health literacy, the data include a wide array of information on the participants\u2019 health, functioning and environment.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are interested to see if health literacy can promote a physically active lifestyle and active aging,\u201d Eronen says about the future plans.\r\n\r\nCurrently, there is very little information on the health literacy of older Finns. Further research on this topic is needed and the results can be used when planning and developing health services for this population and improving health communication.\r\n\r\n<strong>Original article: <\/strong>Johanna Eronen, Leena Paakkari, Erja Portegijs, Milla Saajanaho &amp; Taina Rantanen.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s40520-018-1104-9\">Assessment of health literacy among older Finns.<\/a>\u00a0<em>Aging Clinical and Experimental Research<\/em>\u00a021.12.2018. This study was funded by the European Research Council, the Academy of Finland and the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland.\r\n\r\n<strong>For more information, please contact:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Postdoctoral researcher Johanna Eronen, +358 40 805 3489, johanna.eronen@jyu.fi<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Communications Officer Martta Walker, +358 40 805 4717, martta.a.walker@jyu.fi<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kuinka helppoa vanhan ihmisen on ymm\u00e4rt\u00e4\u00e4, mit\u00e4 l\u00e4\u00e4k\u00e4ri h\u00e4nelle sanoo tai arvioida, onko median v\u00e4litt\u00e4m\u00e4 terveystieto luotettavaa? Uusi tutkimus i\u00e4kk\u00e4iden suomalaisten terveyden lukutaidosta osoittaa, ett\u00e4 noin kolmasosalla 75-vuotiaista suomalaisista on vaikeuksia ymm\u00e4rt\u00e4\u00e4 ja hy\u00f6dynt\u00e4\u00e4 terveyteen liittyv\u00e4\u00e4 tietoa. Tutkimuksen mukaan parempi&hellip;","protected":false,"raw":""},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_fi_post_content":"<header>\r\n<div class=\"documentDescription\">Kuinka helppoa vanhan ihmisen on ymm\u00e4rt\u00e4\u00e4, mit\u00e4 l\u00e4\u00e4k\u00e4ri h\u00e4nelle sanoo tai arvioida, onko median v\u00e4litt\u00e4m\u00e4 terveystieto luotettavaa? Uusi tutkimus i\u00e4kk\u00e4iden suomalaisten terveyden lukutaidosta osoittaa, ett\u00e4 noin kolmasosalla 75-vuotiaista suomalaisista on vaikeuksia ymm\u00e4rt\u00e4\u00e4 ja hy\u00f6dynt\u00e4\u00e4 terveyteen liittyv\u00e4\u00e4 tietoa. Tutkimuksen mukaan parempi terveyden lukutaito oli yhteydess\u00e4 my\u00f6s parempaan terveyteen.<\/div>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div id=\"content-core\">\r\n<div class=\"newsitem clearfix\">\r\n<div id=\"parent-fieldname-text\">\r\n\r\nJyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4n yliopiston liikuntatieteellisess\u00e4 tiedekunnassa toteutetun tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli ensisijaisesti testata eurooppalaisen terveyden lukutaidon mittarin soveltuvuutta tutkimusk\u00e4ytt\u00f6\u00f6n i\u00e4kk\u00e4\u00e4ss\u00e4 suomalaisv\u00e4est\u00f6ss\u00e4. Mittari todettiin k\u00e4ytt\u00f6kelpoiseksi ja lis\u00e4ksi alustavissa analyyseissa havaittiin, ett\u00e4 hyv\u00e4 terveyden lukutaito voi olla voimavara vanhuudessa.\r\n\r\n- Tutkimuksessamme k\u00e4vi ilmi, ett\u00e4 niill\u00e4 ihmisill\u00e4, joilla terveyden lukutaito on hyv\u00e4, on my\u00f6s parempi fyysinen toimintakyky, v\u00e4hemm\u00e4n sairauksia ja he arvioivat terveytens\u00e4 paremmaksi. Vastaavasti huono terveyden lukutaito voi olla terveyden heikkenemisen riskitekij\u00e4, kertoo tutkijatohtori\u00a0<strong>Johanna Eronen<\/strong>.\r\n\r\nTerveyden lukutaidolla tarkoitetaan ihmisen kyky\u00e4 l\u00f6yt\u00e4\u00e4, ymm\u00e4rt\u00e4\u00e4, hy\u00f6dynt\u00e4\u00e4 ja arvioida terveyteen liittyv\u00e4\u00e4 tietoa. Se kertoo esimerkiksi siit\u00e4, kuinka helppoa tai vaikeaa ihmisen on k\u00e4ytt\u00e4\u00e4 eri l\u00e4hteist\u00e4 tulevaa terveyteen liittyv\u00e4\u00e4 tietoa omasta terveydest\u00e4 huolehtimiseen ja oikeanlaisten terveyspalvelujen l\u00f6yt\u00e4miseen tai ymm\u00e4rt\u00e4\u00e4 terveydenhuollon ammattilaisten antamia ohjeita.\r\n\r\n- T\u00e4ss\u00e4 tutkimuksessa erityisesti median v\u00e4litt\u00e4m\u00e4n terveystiedon luotettavuuden arviointi ja sen hy\u00f6dynt\u00e4minen koettiin usein vaikeaksi, Eronen sanoo.\r\n\r\n<strong>Tutkimustieto t\u00e4rke\u00e4\u00e4 terveyspalveluiden kehitt\u00e4mist\u00e4 ajatellen<\/strong>\r\n\r\nViime vuonna ker\u00e4tty\u00e4 tutkimusaineistoa aletaan alkuvuodesta analysoimaan tarkemmin.\r\n\r\n- T\u00e4m\u00e4 tutkimus toi vasta alustavaa tietoa suomalaisten ik\u00e4ihmisten terveyden lukutaidosta, Eronen kertoo.\r\n\r\nSeuraavissa analyyseissa on mukana 75-vuotiaiden jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4l\u00e4isten lis\u00e4ksi my\u00f6s 80- ja 85-vuotiaita tutkittavia, joilta on terveyden lukutaidon lis\u00e4ksi mitattu useita erilaisia terveytt\u00e4, toimintakyky\u00e4 ja elinymp\u00e4rist\u00f6\u00e4 kuvaavia tekij\u00f6it\u00e4.\r\n\r\n- Jatkossa on mielenkiintoista tarkastella esimerkiksi sit\u00e4, edist\u00e4\u00e4k\u00f6 hyv\u00e4 terveyden lukutaito liikunnallista el\u00e4m\u00e4ntapaa ja aktiivisena vanhenemista, Eronen suunnittelee.\r\n\r\nTutkimustietoa suomalaisten i\u00e4kk\u00e4iden ihmisten terveyden lukutaidosta tarvitaan, sill\u00e4 sit\u00e4 voidaan hy\u00f6dynt\u00e4\u00e4 esimerkiksi i\u00e4kk\u00e4iden henkil\u00f6iden terveyspalveluiden kehitt\u00e4misess\u00e4 ja terveysviestinn\u00e4n toteuttamisessa.\r\n\r\n<strong>Alkuper\u00e4inen artikkeli:<\/strong>\u00a0Johanna Eronen, Leena Paakkari, Erja Portegijs, Milla Saajanaho &amp; Taina Rantanen.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s40520-018-1104-9\">Assessment of health literacy among older Finns.<\/a>\u00a0<em>Aging Clinical and Experimental Research<\/em>\u00a021.12.2018. Tutkimusta ovat rahoittaneet European Research Council, Suomen Akatemia sek\u00e4 opetus- ja kulttuuriministeri\u00f6.\r\n\r\nLis\u00e4tietoja:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Tutkijatohtori Johanna Eronen, 040 805 3489, johanna.eronen@jyu.fi<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Tiedottaja Martta Walker, 040 805 4717, martta.a.walker@jyu.fi<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","_fi_post_name":"tutkimusjulkaisu-hyva-ter%c2%advey%c2%adden-lu%c2%adku%c2%adtai%c2%adto-edis%c2%adtaa-ter%c2%adveyt%c2%adta-iak%c2%adkail%c2%adla","_fi_post_excerpt":"","_fi_post_title":"Tutkimusjulkaisu: Hyv\u00e4 ter\u00advey\u00adden lu\u00adku\u00adtai\u00adto edis\u00adt\u00e4\u00e4 ter\u00adveyt\u00adt\u00e4 i\u00e4k\u00adk\u00e4il\u00adl\u00e4","_en_post_content":"How easy is it for older individuals to understand what their doctor tells them or to evaluate whether health information in the media is reliable? A new study on older Finnish people\u2019s health literacy found that one third of 75-year-old Finns find it difficult to understand and use health-related information.\r\n<div id=\"content-core\">\r\n<div class=\"newsitem clearfix\">\r\n<div id=\"parent-fieldname-text\">\r\n\r\nThe new study, conducted at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, was aimed at 75-year-old people, with the primary purpose of testing the validity of a Finnish translation of the short form the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire. As a result, the questionnaire was found to be feasible to use for research purposes in this age group. In addition, the results indicated that high health literacy can be a resource in old age.\r\n\r\n\u201cOur results,\u201d says postdoctoral researcher Johanna Eronen, \u201cshowed that those people whose health literacy was higher had better physical functioning, fewer illnesses and they were more likely to rate their health as very good than those whose health literacy was low. Consequently, low health literacy can be a risk factor for adverse health outcomes.\u201d\r\n\r\nHealth literacy means the ability to find, understand, use and assess health-related information in order to manage one\u2019s health and find adequate health services. For example, it describes how easy or difficult it is for an older person to use health information from different sources or to understand instructions given by health professionals.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn our study,\u201d Eronen says, \u201cevaluating the reliability of health information in the media and using this information was often perceived as difficult.\u201d\r\n\r\n<strong>Research on health literacy can promote health service development<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe data for this study were collected in 2017 and 2018, and new analyses are planned for this year.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis was our first study using this data and it included only participants aged 75,\u201d says Eronen. \u201cTherefore these results are only preliminary.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor the next study, Eronen plans to use the all of the data, which include almost one thousand people aged 75, 80 and 85. In addition to health literacy, the data include a wide array of information on the participants\u2019 health, functioning and environment.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are interested to see if health literacy can promote a physically active lifestyle and active aging,\u201d Eronen says about the future plans.\r\n\r\nCurrently, there is very little information on the health literacy of older Finns. Further research on this topic is needed and the results can be used when planning and developing health services for this population and improving health communication.\r\n\r\n<strong>Original article: <\/strong>Johanna Eronen, Leena Paakkari, Erja Portegijs, Milla Saajanaho &amp; Taina Rantanen.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s40520-018-1104-9\">Assessment of health literacy among older Finns.<\/a>\u00a0<em>Aging Clinical and Experimental Research<\/em>\u00a021.12.2018. This study was funded by the European Research Council, the Academy of Finland and the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland.\r\n\r\n<strong>For more information, please contact:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Postdoctoral researcher Johanna Eronen, +358 40 805 3489, johanna.eronen@jyu.fi<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Communications Officer Martta Walker, +358 40 805 4717, martta.a.walker@jyu.fi<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","_en_post_name":"research-news-health-literacy-can-promote-older-peoples-health","_en_post_excerpt":"","_en_post_title":"Research news: Health literacy can promote older people\u2019s health","edit_language":"en","footnotes":""},"categories":[130],"tags":[144,143,142],"class_list":["post-6241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tiedeuutiset","tag-agnes-tutkimus","tag-terveyden-lukutaidon-mittari","tag-terveyden-lukutaito","entry","no-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6241"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6552,"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6241\/revisions\/6552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}