Health Literacy and Self-Efficacy Among Low-Income Men with Prostate Cancer

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Self-efficacy and health literacy both influence how an individual is able to obtain and understand symptom management information related to cancer, and to feel confident in performing the skills needed to manage symptoms. Managing prostate cancer treatment-related symptoms effectively is necessary to maintaining good quality of life. However, many low-income men with prostate cancer have low self-literacy and low self-efficacy, but we do not know how these 2 characteristics may work together to influence quality of life for these men. Little is known about the effects of health literacy in low-income and culturally diverse populations on the factors that might influence an individual's ability to take charge of their illness such that symptoms can be effectively managed and quality of life maintained. One of these factors, self-efficacy or confidence in one's ability to interact with physicians, or how self-efficacy and health literacy, may be associated are largely unexplored in relation to health literacy. Yet, low self-efficacy has been shown to be detrimental to obtaining and understanding critical health information, also. Therefore, this study seeks to examine relationships between health literacy and self-efficacy for patient-physician interaction, prostate cancer-specific symptom function and bother, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Identification of significant associations will help in understanding the role that health literacy plays in obtaining and understanding information necessary for effective self-management of chronic, life-threatening illness and to lay the groundwork for the development of interventions specific to the needs of extremely vulnerable individuals. The specific aims of this study are to: 1. Measure health literacy, self-efficacy for interacting with physicians, and disease specific and general health related quality of life (HRQOL) using standardized instruments and 2. Examine associations between health literacy level and self-efficacy for interacting with physicians, HRQOL, disease-specific QOL, and sociodemographic factors. To accomplish these goals a cross-sectional descriptive design will be used employing secondary and primary data. We will randomly sample 100 low-income men treated for prostate cancer in a public-funded program and participating in a HRQOL study and administer the Test of Functional Health Literacy in English of Spanish. The statistical analysis will consist of two stages. The first stage will be to examine pairwise associations between sociodemographic factors and health literacy scores as well as associations between sociodemographic measures and health literacy scores with efficacy and QOL outcomes [PEPPI scores, general HRQOL (SF-12), and disease-specific HRQOL (UCLA PCI)]. PAR-04-117 Understanding and Promoting Health Literacy (RO3) Description: Project Summary and Relevance. Little is known about the effects of health literacy in low-income and culturally diverse populations on the factors that might influence an individual's ability to take charge of their illness such that symptoms can be effectively managed and quality of life maintained. One of these factors, self-efficacy, confidence in one's ability to interact with physicians, or how self-efficacy and health literacy may be associated are largely unexplored in relation to health literacy. Yet, low self-efficacy has been shown to be detrimental to obtaining and understanding critical health information, also. Therefore, this study seeks to examine relationships between health literacy and self-efficacy for patient-physician interaction, prostate cancer-specific symptom function and bother, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Identification of significant associations will help in understanding the role that health literacy plays in obtaining and understanding information necessary for effective self-management of chronic, life-threatening illness and to lay the groundwork for the development of interventions specific to the needs of extremely vulnerable individuals.