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

自我效能和健康素养都影响个人如何能够获得和理解与癌症相关的症状管理信息，并在执行管理症状所需的技能时感到自信。有效管理前列腺癌治疗相关症状是维持良好生活质量的必要条件。然而，许多患有前列腺癌的低收入男性自我素养低，自我效能低，但我们不知道这两个特征如何共同影响这些男性的生活质量。人们对低收入和文化多样性人群中的健康素养对可能影响个人控制疾病能力的因素的影响知之甚少，这些因素可以有效地控制症状并维持生活质量。这些因素之一，自我效能或一个人的能力，与医生互动的信心，或如何自我效能和健康素养，可能是相关的，在很大程度上是未探讨的健康素养。然而，低自我效能也被证明不利于获得和理解关键的健康信息。因此，本研究旨在探讨健康素养和自我效能之间的关系，病人-医生的互动，前列腺癌的具体症状功能和困扰，健康相关的生活质量（HRQOL）。确定重要的关联将有助于了解卫生知识在获取和理解有效自我管理慢性、危及生命的疾病所需信息方面发挥的作用，并为制定针对极端脆弱个人需求的干预措施奠定基础。本研究的具体目的是：1.使用标准化工具测量健康素养、与医生互动的自我效能以及疾病特异性和一般健康相关生活质量（HRQOL）;检查健康素养水平和自我效能与医生，HRQOL，疾病特异性QOL和社会人口因素的相互作用之间的关联。为了实现这些目标，将采用横断面描述性设计，采用次要和主要数据。我们将随机抽取100名在公共资助项目中接受前列腺癌治疗的低收入男性，并参与HRQOL研究，并使用英语或西班牙语进行功能性健康素养测试。统计分析将包括两个阶段。第一阶段将检查社会人口统计学因素与健康素养评分之间的成对关联，以及社会人口统计学指标与健康素养评分与疗效和QOL结局[PEPPI评分、一般HRQOL（SF-12）和疾病特异性HRQOL（UCLA PCI）]之间的关联。PAR-04-117理解和促进健康素养（RO 3）描述：项目摘要和相关性。人们对低收入和文化多样性人群中的健康素养对可能影响个人控制疾病能力的因素的影响知之甚少，这些因素可以有效地控制症状并维持生活质量。这些因素之一，自我效能，在一个人的能力，与医生互动的信心，或如何自我效能和健康素养可能是相关的，在很大程度上是未探讨的健康素养。然而，低自我效能也被证明不利于获得和理解关键的健康信息。因此，本研究旨在探讨健康素养和自我效能之间的关系，病人-医生的互动，前列腺癌的具体症状功能和困扰，健康相关的生活质量（HRQOL）。确定重要的关联将有助于了解卫生知识在获取和理解有效自我管理慢性、危及生命的疾病所需信息方面发挥的作用，并为制定针对极端脆弱个人需求的干预措施奠定基础。

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.