RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Quick Assessment of Literacy in Primary Care: The Newest Vital Sign
JF The Annals of Family Medicine
JO Ann Fam Med
FD American Academy of Family Physicians
SP 514
OP 522
DO 10.1370/afm.405
VO 3
IS 6
A1 Weiss, Barry D.
A1 Mays, Mary Z.
A1 Martz, William
A1 Castro, Kelley Merriam
A1 DeWalt, Darren A.
A1 Pignone, Michael P.
A1 Mockbee, Joy
A1 Hale, Frank A.
YR 2005
UL http://www.annfammed.org/content/3/6/514.abstract
AB PURPOSE Current health literacy screening instruments for health care settings are either too long for routine use or available only in English. Our objective was to develop a quick and accurate screening test for limited literacy available in English and Spanish. METHODS We administered candidate items for the new instrument and also the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) to English-speaking and Spanish-speaking primary care patients. We measured internal consistency with Cronbach’s α and assessed criterion validity by measuring correlations with TOFHLA scores. Using TOFLHA scores <75 to define limited literacy, we plotted receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curves and calculated likelihood ratios for cutoff scores on the new instrument. RESULTS The final instrument, the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), is a nutrition label that is accompanied by 6 questions and requires 3 minutes for administration. It is reliable (Cronbach α >0.76 in English and 0.69 in Spanish) and correlates with the TOFHLA. Area under the ROC curve is 0.88 for English and 0.72 for Spanish versions. Patients with more than 4 correct responses are unlikely to have low literacy, whereas fewer than 4 correct answers indicate the possibility of limited literacy. CONCLUSION NVS is suitable for use as a quick screening test for limited literacy in primary health care settings.