Guides: Community Health Engagement: Resources for Providing Multicultural & Multilingual Public Health Information

Health Literacy

Health Literacy in Healthy People 2030 Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Health Literacy Study Club
Kaur, Amanpreet. Evaluating health websites & apps. “Unraveling Misinformation” workshop series, Invited Presenter. Free Library of Philadelphia, Blackwell Regional Library of West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. March 7, 2024.

Kaur, Amanpreet. Building your health literacy toolbox. "How to Find and Use Trustworthy Health Information: Tools for Community Health Workers" Conference, Invited Pre-Conference Keynote Presenter. The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare Community Core, Columbus, Ohio. October 19, 2023.

Background and U.S. Data

About the Foreign-Born Population
Selected Social Characteristics: Census Bureau Table
United States Profile Data: Census Bureau
Language Spoken at Home
Language Use in the United States (2019)
National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). [Internet] Washington, DC: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics [2003].

Resources to Explore

Health Information Resources

MedlinePlus
MedlinePlus en Español
How is MedlinePlus in Spanish Translated? The Spanish content on MedlinePlus comes from a variety of sources. The MedlinePlus Spanish Team is made up of individuals who are native Spanish speakers and have experience in health, medicine, and biological sciences. The sites to which MedlinePlus in Español health topics are linked are reviewed by the Spanish Team.
Health Information in Multiple Languages from MedlinePlus
Health Topics in Multiple Languages from MedlinePlus
Review and Update of Content on MedlinePlus
MedlinePlus Criteria for Links to Non-Governmental Websites
Office of Minority Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Spanish
Office of Minority Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Minority Health Knowledge Center Online Catalog
Think Cultural Health
EthnoMed
National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants
Health Fluency Project
Health Information Translations
Language Solutions
Selected Patient Information Resources in Asian Languages
American Cancer Society Information in Other Languages
Philadelphia Community Engagement Alliance Against COVID-19: Guide for Finding and Understanding Health Information
Center for Adult English Language Acquisition: Picture Stories about Health
Graphic Medicine

Resources for Effective Health Communication

AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit. Content last reviewed September 2020. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
Suitability Assessment of Materials “Chapter 4: Assessing Suitability of Materials.” Doak, C. C., Doak, L. G. & Root, J. H. (1996). Teaching Patients with Low Literacy Skills (2nd Ed.). Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, pages 41-60.
Internationalization, Distribution, Explanation, and Action (IDEA) model for effective communication of crisis and risk
The SHARE Approach - Communicating Numbers to Your Patients The SHARE Approach—Communicating Numbers to Your Patients: A Reference Guide for Health Care Providers. Content last reviewed September 2020. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
AHRQ Health Literacy Interventions and Outcomes: An Updated Systematic Review Berkman ND, Sheridan SL, Donahue KE, Halpern DJ, Viera A, Crotty K, Holland A, Brasure M, Lohr KN, Harden E, Tant E, Wallace I, Viswanathan M. Health Literacy Interventions and Outcomes: An Updated Systematic Review. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 199. (Prepared by RTI International–University of North Carolina Evidence based Practice Center under contract No. 290-2007-10056-I.) AHRQ Publication Number 11- E006. Rockville, MD. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. March 2011.
National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health and Health Care The National CLAS Standards are intended to advance health equity, improve quality, and help eliminate health care disparities by establishing a blueprint for health and health care organizations.

Plain Language

The CDC Clear Communication Index The CDC Clear Communication Index (Index) is a research-based tool to help you develop and assess public communication materials.
Everyday Words for Public Health Communication U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Last Reviewed: May 9, 2022).
Federal plain language guidelines Plain Language Action and Information Network. Federal plain language guidelines. (May 2011).
Plain Language Thesaurus for Health Communications National Center for Health Marketing (U.S.) (2007). Plain language thesaurus for health communications.
The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) and User’s Guide The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) is a systematic method to evaluate and compare the understandability and actionability of patient education materials. It is designed as a guide to help determine whether patients will be able to understand and act on information. Separate tools are available for use with print and audiovisual materials.

Readability Testers

Accessibility

ADA Best Practices Tool Kit: General Effective Communication ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments. “Chapter 3: General Effective Communication Requirements Under Title II of the ADA.” (2007). Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice.
Removing barriers: Tips and Strategies to Promote Accessible Communication North Carolina Office on Disability and Health. (2002). Removing barriers: Tips and strategies to promote accessible communication. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Author. Available from: https://fpg.unc.edu/publications/removing-barriers-tips-and-strategies-promote-accessible-communication
WAVE: Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool WebAIM, Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice, Utah State University. Logan: UT. (2001-).
WebAIM Contrast Checker

Examples of Multilingual Projects funded by NNLM

Minwanjige Mino-bimaadizi (Eat Well, Live Well)
Multilingual Health Media
Use the table of contents to find resources

Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM)

Language Usage Data Resources

What Languages Do We Speak in the United States?
Data Profiles from U.S. Census
1) Choose Data Profiles
2) Scroll down to see data by state OR select the filter icon on the left of the page to choose data by state, county, zip code, et cetera.
People That Speak English Less Than "Very Well" in the United States Interactive Map
Hover over or click areas to display data at the county level.
Language Spoken at Home: American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau)
Scroll down page to search state or local data for percentages of language usage and proficiency.
State Immigration Profiles
1) Hover over State of your interest.
2) Click to see state level information. You can choose from options on the right of screen for topics such as language.

Health Literacy Librarian

Aman Kaur

she/they

Email Me

Contact:

University of Pennsylvania
School of Dental Medicine
240 S. 40th Street
Leon Levy Library
2nd Floor, Evans Building
Philadelphia, PA 19104

215-746-0101

Subjects: Dental Medicine, Health & Life Sciences

Community Health Engagement: Resources for Providing Multicultural & Multilingual Public Health Information

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