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Background Information about Health and Literacy | Materials Development and Assessment
Curricula, Curriculum Guides, and Lessons | Readers (Stories and Factbooks)
Bibliographies and Databases

Included here are both traditional print bibliographies and resource directories, and online databases, including full-text sources. These materials describe limited literacy materials, literacy and health research, and organizational resources. Only bibliographies and databases that explain how to purchase or acquire the items described are included, so as to minimize the frustration of finding the "perfect" citation with no way of acquiring the material.

Databases about health and education are available on the Web, but many of the resources do not yet include much for adults with limited literacy. Look for future improvements in the Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM), a listing of lesson plans and curriculum units on the web at http://www.thegateway.org. Also check out Blue Web'n, a library of learning sites on the web at http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/. While there is currently very little geared for adults about health on GEM or Blue Web'n, their potential as resources is great.

One basic tip for searching online bibliographies and databases: the words one uses to search a database need to be precise enough to pull up a manageable number of citations. Using a term that is applicable to an entire database will pull up an overwhelming number of materials. Don't search the ERIC (Education) database for the word "education." Think about a more specific term to use such as "adult literacy." Likewise, don't use specific terminology when searching a database that is only marginally or partially on a topic. Think of a more general term that might include the topic of interest. For example, searching the ERIC database for "multiple myeloma" will probably be fruitless, but a search for "cancer" could provide results that include information about multiple myeloma.

Available from: Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs; 1611 N. Kent Street, Suite 910; Arlington, VA 22209; phone (703) 528-4141; $10.

The title of this bibliography is misleading, as this work of about 240 items includes information useful for literacy or health educators working with almost any audience interested in a spectrum of health issues. The cited brochures, pamphlets, booklets, fact sheets, videos, manuals, posters, and curricula from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, are either easy-to-read information in English or culturally-specific information in languages besides English. Materials are from migrant health centers, migrant Head Start programs, federal and state agencies, farmworker employment programs, and other organizations. Many of the materials cited are in Spanish; some are in Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Laotian, Portuguese, Thai, and Vietnamese. For each item listed, there is a description, including information on the target audience and how to order the material. While generally about nutrition, there is also information about pregnancy, breast-feeding, and feeding a young child; cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions; dental care; weight management; food preparation and storage; and alcohol and drug use. While some phone numbers are now outdated, many are still accurate. An extensive list of organizations and publishers is included.

Keywords: Agricultural laborers / Cardiovascular conditions / Diabetes / Family health / Nutrition / Oral health / Rural populations / Substance abuse

Available from: USPHS/Indian Health Service; Office of Public Health; Division of Clinical and Preventive Services; 5300 Homestead Road, NE; Albuquerque, NM 87110; phone (505) 248-4175; fax (505) 248-4181; free.

This resource guide of materials published between 1979 and 1996 could be of use to health or literacy educators, especially, but not solely, those working with Native American communities. It includes both a listing of materials and programs. The materials range in format from pamphlets and videotapes to curricula. For all materials listed, this guide specifies the target group, how to purchase the material, and whether it is easy-to-read. The program listings include examples of Indian Health Service and tribal oral health promotion and dental disease prevention programs. Sample tracking and consent forms are included in some sections. Topics covered include BBTD (baby bottle tooth decay) and early childhood caries; children's oral health; sealants; nutrition and oral health; periodontal disease; oral health for people with disabilities; fluorides/fluoridation; oral hygiene instruction; pregnancy and oral health; and tobacco.

Keywords: Native Americans / Oral health

Available from: Refugee Service Center, Center for Applied Linguistics; 4646 40th Street, NW; Washington, DC 20016-1859; phone (202) 362-0700; $7.

This resource guide was developed for the Illinois Department of Public Health, but is a national resource for anyone interested in health information in a variety of languages, including some limited literacy materials. Over 600 items--booklets, brochures, and fact sheets--are briefly described, including whether the material is a translation from English or was created in another language. Languages covered include Arabic, Bosnian/Serbo Croation, Cambodian/Khmer, Haitian Creole/French, Hmong, Laotian, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Health topics covered include infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis; and maternal & child health information about breast health, dental care, family planning, immunization, and prenatal care. Ordering information for all the materials is included. A quarter of the materials have been reviewed by native speakers for reading level and quality. For the most part, the materials were created in the 1990s.

Keywords: AIDS/HIV / Family health / Hepatitis B / STDs / Tuberculosis

Available from: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; Technical Information Services Branch, MS A34; Atlanta, GA 30333; phone (770) 488-5080; free.

This publication includes 117 citations and abstracts of literature, materials, and programs that represent the methods being used in the 1980s by health professionals to reach people with limited reading abilities. The materials cover: literacy issues in the United States; readability formulas and their use; and health promotion information. The more recent items in this publication are also listed in the Combined Health Information Database (CHID). Ordering information is included for the books cited, but not for legislation or journal articles.

Keywords: Health education / Literacy -- Research / Literacy programs / Reading -- Ability testing

Available from: Centre for Literacy; 3040 Sherbrooke Street W.; Montreal, Quebec H3Z 1A4 CANADA; phone (514) 931-8731 x1415; $10.

This is an updated version of a bibliography titled Literacy and Health: An Annotated Bibliography created in 1995. The old version, which includes literature from professional health journals published between 1990 and 1995, is available online for free at http://www.nald.ca/province/que/litcent/Publication_Products/health/cover.htm. The updated version contains 23 additional annotations to journal articles written after 1995 on the subject of literacy and health. The annotations give clear summaries of the study results cited, and list the source for the full articles.

Keywords: Health education / Literacy -- Research

Available at: http://chid.nih.gov; free.

The five subfiles produced by the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion are also available on CD-ROM from the Superintendent of Documents; Government Printing Office; Washington, DC 20402; phone (202) 512-1800; stock no. 717-145-00000-3; $96 for one year subscription.

The Combined Health Information Database (CHID) is a federally-produced computerized bibliographic database of health education resources. It includes citations to a variety of limited literacy information ranging from ESOL curriculum to journal articles about providing health care to patients with limited literacy. CHID includes descriptions of state and local health education and health promotion programs, and bibliographic citations and abstracts of journal articles, books, reports, pamphlets, audiovisuals, and other health resources. CHID also provides information about how to contact the programs described, and how to acquire the publications listed. The contact information is generally, but not always, up-to-date. There are 18 topics included, and one can either search the entire database or a subject-specific subfile. The topics include AIDS education; Alzheimer's disease; arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; cancer patient education; cancer prevention and control; comprehensive school health; deafness and communication disorders; diabetes; digestive diseases; disease prevention and health promotion; epilepsy education and prevention; health promotion and education; kidney and urologic diseases; maternal and child health; medical genetics and rare disorders; oral health; prenatal smoking cessation; and weight control. Not all subjects, however, currently have materials useful for people with limited literacy.

Keywords: Health education

Available at: http://www.worlded.org/us/health/lincs/teacher.htm; free.

This Web site of health and literacy resources for ABE and ESOL teachers is being updated on a regular basis. Eastern LINCS is part of the National Institute for Literacy's Literacy Information and Communication System, which brings together adult literacy-related resources and expertise on the web for teachers, students, and literacy program administrators. The Web page cited here is the home page for a special collection of health information on Eastern LINCS. Current selections include information on AIDS, nutrition, cancer, and more. Lesson plans, student writings, and general health and literacy resources are bookmarked here.

Keywords: AIDS/HIV / Cancer / Nutrition

Available at: http://ericir.syr.edu Click on "Search ERIC database"; free.

This federally-sponsored database includes citations to journal articles and documents, including curriculum, about education from 1989 currently through July 1998. The database includes health education information and information about teaching adults. The highest quality and most relevant materials are selected for inclusion by the 16 ERIC Clearinghouses, which are mainly housed at universities around the country. Lengthy abstracts give complete and accurate descriptions of the materials. Information about how to obtain the full text is available.

Keywords: Literacy -- Research

Available at: http://www.ncemch.org/databases Scroll to "Bibliographies on selected MCH topics"; click on it; then scroll to "Low literacy"; free.

Also available in print from: NCEMCH; 2000 15th Street, North, Suite 701; Arlington, VA 22201; phone (703) 524-7802; fax (703) 524-9335; free.

This 51-page bibliography, easy to download using Adobe Acrobat, includes citations, descriptions, and information about where to obtain copies of easy-to-read maternal and child health materials that could be used by literacy or health educators. The main focus of the collection is on materials produced by projects funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the U.S. Public Health Service. They do not include journal articles, mass media publications, or clinical medical information. The contact information is generally but not always up-to-date. The bibliography can be directly printed for easy use. Topics covered include prenatal care, nutrition, breast-feeding, oral health, injury prevention, smoking, general health for women and infants, and how to produce materials.

Keywords: Childbearing / Family health / Injuries / Nutrition / Oral health / Smoking / Women's health

Available at: http://www.nifl.gov Click on "Directories and other links"; free.

Also available in print from: NIFL; 800 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 200; Washington, DC 20006-2712; phone (800) 228-8813; fax (202) 632-1512; free.

This listing of state and national literacy programs includes the spectrum of literacy resources from family literacy to correctional education to ESOL education to GED resources. Also included are resources for U.S. territories and other associated countries such as Guam and Puerto Rico. Included is basic contact information such as addresses, phones, and e-mail. The print version is a hefty 241 pages long.

Keywords: Literacy programs

Available at: http://www.nlhp.cpha.ca; free.

This main Web page has both links to the Literacy and Health Resource Centre Bibliography and links to full-text information about "plain language." To get to the bibliography, click on "Online Resources." Then click on "NLHP Resouce Center." The bibliography includes books, articles, audiovisuals, brochures, and more. Resources cited cover plain language; literacy as a social determinant of health; and clear verbal communication. Also included are citations to actual limited literacy materials (brochures, newspapers, and more). The "Online Resources" section is also where one can find quick examples of how to write health information using plain language, why you should use it, and how to use the SMOG Readability Formula.

Keywords: Literacy -- Research / Materials development

Available at: http://lib-sh.lsumc.edu/fammed/pted/pted.html; free.

This list of patient education materials, while short, is valuable because it provides the full text of easy-to-read information for a few medical procedures. Easy-to-read information is available on the following topics: chicken pox, common cold, constipation, circumcision, colonoscopy, colposcopy, cryotherapy, Human papillomavirus, LEEP (LEETZ), weight loss, conjunctivitis (pink eye), urinary tract infections, and 5-FU (drug information).

Keywords: Infectious diseases / Surgery

Available at: http://litlink1.pbs.org/litteacher/peerlit/ Search for materials on "health and leisure" using the pull-down menu; free.

This Web site was designed for adult educators interested in finding peer-reviewed, full-text health lessons and materials for classroom use available on the Web for GED students. It creates opportunities for collaboration between teachers and learners who can suggest or review materials. The current health lessons reviewed include ones on medical ethics, environmental tobacco smoke, fitness and nutrition, and the heart.

Keywords: Cardiovascular conditions / Medical ethics / Smoking / Wellness programs

Available from: World Education; 44 Farnsworth Street; Boston, MA 02210-1211; phone (617) 482-9485; $7.

This 49-page annotated bibliography of approximately 250 materials about the early detection of breast and cervical cancer was designed as part of the Health Education and Adult Literacy Project, but it can be a valuable resource on its own for people wanting culturally appropriate, easy-to-read information about the early detection of breast and cervical cancer. Besides easy-to-read information, the bibliography includes articles appropriate for teachers about "empowerment education" and the political issues regarding breast and cervical cancer. This bibliography describes a broad range of materials, including videos, books, posters/bookmarks, Web pages, articles, and more. The abstracts are clear and concise, but it is not always obvious how to order the materials.

Keywords: Breast cancer / Cervical cancer

Available from: NCSALL; World Education; 44 Farnsworth St.; Boston, MA 02210-1211; phone (617) 482-9485; $5.

Forthcoming for free on the NCSALLWeb site at: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~ncsall/research/report14.pdf.

This 49-page overview and annotated bibliography includes 177 citations to medical and public health articles published between 1990 and 1998. The articles, all indexed in the Medline database, are about how limited literacy can make it hard to get health information, including patient education materials, informed consent forms, discharge documents, and directions for self-care. The authors include a clear description of the search methods used to compile the bibliography. Overviews for the various sections include the links between literacy and health; literacy levels of patients, clients, or health program participants; comparisons between the readability of written patient education materials and the audience for whom they are intended; functional literacy in health institutions (what skills are needed); materials assessments of actual health education publications; the development and testing of research tools for assessing health literacy; descriptions of health education programs that make note of literacy issues; and guidelines for practitioners and health educators interested in materials development and teaching people with limited literacy.

Keywords: Health education / Health status / Literacy -- Research

Background Information about Health and Literacy | Materials Development and Assessment
Curricula, Curriculum Guides, and Lessons | Readers (Stories and Factbooks)
Bibliographies and Databases