Tetine Sentell|Helen Ann Halpin
Importance of adult literacy in understanding health disparities
University of California, San Francisco|University of California, Berkeley
several recent studies importance education race explaining healthrelated disparities diminished literacy considered relationship tested nationally representative sample us adultsto understand effect adult literacy explanatory power education race predicting health status among us adultsusing 1992 national adult literacy survey logistic regression models predicting health status estimated without literacy test effect literacy inclusion race educationa nationally representative sample 23889 noninstitutionalized us adultspoor health status measured workimpairing condition longterm illness literacy measured extensive functional skills testwhen literacy considered african americans 154 95 confidence interval 129 184 times likely workimpairing condition whites completion additional level education made one 075 069 082 times likely workimpairing condition literacy considered effect estimates africanamerican race education diminished 32 point longer significantly associated workimpairing condition similar results seen longterm illnessthe inclusion adult literacy reduces explanatory power crucial variables health disparities research literacy inequity may important factor health disparities powerful avenue alleviation efforts mistakenly attributed factors