Why Is Information on Health Literacy Essential for This Group?
Health literacy programs are essential for children in low-income urban areas. It can be explained by several factors. First and foremost, this group of the population belongs to the vulnerable ones. It means that they do not have adequate access to education and health care. In most cases, it is connected to living in poverty. Therefore, adequate social support aimed at improving health literacy is critical for enhancing their health outcomes. More than that, just like any other group living in the urban area, they are exposed to the increased impact of mass marketing and the promotion of unhealthy lifestyles. Because children are easily affected, they should be taught what is healthy and how to invest in their health even without vast financial resources. Finally, due to the commonality of living in poverty and lacking access to high-quality health care, the risks of chronic diseases and conditions are high. For this reason, it is imperative to make children living in these areas informed about ways to prevent such health-related issues in adjusting their lifestyle.
What Is the Initial Step You Would Take Before Designing the Program?
Before designing a health literacy program, it is critical to determine the goals of the initiative and its desired outcomes. It means that the initial step before developing it is the assessment of the needs of children living in the area under consideration and major problems and health concerns they face in everyday life. This step is required to design the program that will benefit the target population and improve their health to the maximum possible extent. Except for health-related issues, during the initial step of program development, it is significant to identify all possible communication barriers, such as literacy, culture, and access to the target population (Institute of Medicine, 2014). This stage is necessary to guarantee that the program is not only well-developed but also easily and effectively implemented.
What Role/Function Would You Play at the beginning of the Assessment Phase?
At the beginning of the assessment phase, it is essential to play the role of an observer. It means that it is significant to pay special attention to identifying the main specificities of the environment under consideration. All factors mentioned above should be considered. In this way, common health-related issues and existing communication barriers should be determined and analyzed, so that the assessment stage becomes a foundation of the further program development.
What Role/Function Would You Play at the End of the Program?
At the end of the program, it is as well important to play the role of the observer. In this case, it is critical to focus on the outcomes of the implemented initiative to conclude whether the initially determined goals were achieved. In this way, it is imperative to find out whether the overall health literacy improved. One way to cope with this function is to compare initial and current levels of health literacy as well as analyze healthcare statistics that are easy to access.
What Additional Resources Would Be Needed to Implement This Program?
To implement this program, vast resources are required. The major resources are financial to guarantee that educational initiative is properly prepared and launched. However, there are some additional resources to consider. For instance, it is critical to focus on the quality of educational materials and the manner of their representation, so that the program is both effective and exciting. Moreover, it is essential to invest in human resources. It means that it is important to get professionals involved in the implementation of the program. Finally, one of the important resources is community feedback (Diem & Moyer, 2015). It is critical to find out whether the designed initiative is popular and reaches initially determined objectives.
References
Diem, E., & Moyer, A. (2015). Community and public health nursing: Learning to make a difference through teamwork (2nd ed.). Toronto, Canada: Canadian Scholars’ Press.
Institute of Medicine. (2014). Implications of health literacy for public health: Workshop summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.