Background Information

Background Information

Health is a crucial component of human life. Good health is a desire of every human being. For that matter, individuals need to access updated and reliable health information that would aid them in monitoring and improving their health statuses. Health literacy refers to the extent to which an individual is capable of accessing, processing, and comprehending health information and use the information to guide them in making proper health decisions. There are various initiatives geared toward equipping individuals with information on health literacy within New Providence. The initiatives aim to improve the technological access to authentic health information, imparting the techniques of information processing and utilization of the information by the New Providence citizens.

Challenges to maximize health care for individuals with minimal health literacy occur at various healthcare delivery levels. Individuals with minimal health literacy experience difficulties accessing and receiving healthcare services when they involve any form of technologies. The use of technology in accessing health information can be challenging, impairing their chances of receiving the best quality health care. This is because individuals who are not endowed with health literacy cannot effectively interpret the health information at their disposal and make right decisions. Presently, information that can guide an individual or, rather, provide adequate knowledge to an individual is accessible through the internet.

New Providence is highly diversified, with individuals from various ethnic groups. Language differences and cultural barriers complicate the diversity. These adversely affect health care delivery on the island.⁶ For instance, the linguistic factor affects the manner in which people communicate with one another and comprehend health information. Those who know how to read and understand medical information can effectively monitor their health statuses. They can also follow medical instructions to the latter and actualize health recommendations from health services providers. Language barrier constitutes a large gap in how various individuals experience health care professionals’ services in New Providence and around the world.⁷ The lower levels of health care literacy have played a role in leading to an increased number of poor health care outcomes and higher risk mortality in New Providence.⁷ Through an analysis of the health literacy levels in New Providence, the research study can ascertain the significance of embracing and equipping individuals with adequate health literacy for exceptional health care outcomes.

Aim and Purpose

This research is aimed at creating awareness concerning the need for health literacy for everyone in New Providence. This is important because it will give individuals the ability to technologically access healthcare systems, navigate them to locate the desired health information. Furthermore, it will help them in locating certified health providers and reliable personalized health services.

This study will also enable individuals to monitor their health to be able to identify early onset of diseases, and in turn seek early health care intervention. One’s literacy level plays a very important role in recognizing those early onsets that leads to complications. Moreover, it will equip individuals and families with self-care techniques to manage certain health conditions, such as chronic diseases, without going to health centers.

To improve individuals’ capability of comprehending health information, this research will direct readers to reliable sources of health information in a simplified language. This will help in avoiding the complicated health language, which is complex to non-health practitioners. This will also encourage them to practice and adopt health promoting behaviors to maintain good health.

Besides, there is a rising concern on the individual’s response to health news and announcements. This article will evaluate how an individual is supposed to respond to health news and announcement, especially on social media. This, it will enable people to detect and differentiate between factual and inappropriate health information by providing a mechanism in which one can verify the information that they access.

More specifically, this study will determine the relationship between health literacy and its outcome in hypertensive male patients. This is because hypertension is a common health defect in The Bahamas, and patients’ possession of health literacy could help them manage the condition. The study will focus on bringing into existence, the real-time proficient data of the men who lie in the bracket of 30-65 years and are dwelling in New Providence¹. The research objectives aligned questions, and reviewed hypothesis will be exponentially analyzed, and professional feedback will be offered. The goal of this study is to encourage male clients to have physicals done yearly and to improve their health literacy; this will assist in early detection of the onset of hypertension.

The objective of the study

This study aims to access health literacy and its outcomes in hypertensive males between 30-65 in the New Providence, Bahamas. As such, this research study purposes of delving in and critically evaluate the challenges associated with health literacy in the provision of best quality care regarding hypertension.

Significance of the study

This study will alleviate an individual’s attention to health matters. This will in turn, lead to high life expectancy. For instance, given the rising rates of hypertension both in the New Providence and globally, it is becoming impossible to ignore the fact that there is a great necessity to address this issue. Given the nature of predisposing factors that put one at a higher risk of hypertension, it becomes easier to manage the same catastrophe by incorporating appropriate techniques geared towards mitigating the risk factors of hypertension.

Additionally, the study is significant in tracing access to health information concerning hypertension over the years. In the year 2002, the approximate costs for hypertension management in The Bahamas was $35,281,854, which amounts to a percentage of 0.65% of the gross domestic product in the same region.² In the Bahamas, hypertension is closely linked to the rising obesity rates and overweight in the area. Like most of the other parts of the world, The Bahamas continues to register higher rates and development of obesity cases.

The prevalence rates of obesity and overweight issues are reflected both amongst adolescents and the adult population in The Bahamas. All this is attributed to the fact that people have adopted unhealthy lifestyles. In a 1989 research study, the researchers established that 17% of The Bahamas’ population within the age bracket of 15-64 years was borderline hypersensitive, whereas 13% of the same population was hypersensitive.¹

On the same note, a study carried out on school-going adolescents in New Providence highlighted that 8.9 percent, or rather one in ten of the school children, was found to have Elevated Blood Pressure.¹ From the studies, it was evident that there was a close association between blood pressure and a family history of hypertension.¹ The rising rates of development of hypertension in the adolescents in New Providence, as evidenced in the research study, highlight a higher likelihood of chronic hypertension and adverse effect as these individuals approach and live as adults that are past 30 years of age serves a core purpose in achieving best quality care in the long run and vice versa is true.

Need for Study

As stated earlier, hypertension is a common lifestyle disease in the Bahamas, specifically in the city of New Providence. There is a dire need for health literacy for the patients are able to manage the condition. The process becomes easy when they can technologically and effectively obtain, interpret, and comprehend health information on hypertension. Furthermore, they are able to monitor their condition concerning the treatment progress and alert the doctors whenever there is a matter of concern that needs their attention. With the wide use of computer systems and smartphones, individuals are able to quickly access relevant health information.

Lack of knowledge in any form puts individuals at a disadvantage; in this case, it may aid in clients/patients not receiving an adequate amount of treatment. The literacy demand for New Providence is indeed important as the number of chronic non-communicable diseases increases. Studies have shown that nearly 1 in 10 (8.9) adolescents in the Bahamas have an elevated blood pressure reading. In 2016 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) estimated that nearly 70 per cent of the Bahamian population is overweight.⁸ In the year 2019 the former Minister of Health stated that 80% of Bahamians are obese.⁹ We can then conclude that there was a 10% percent increase within 3-year period.

In the year 2014, hypertension was the third leading cause of death amongst males in the Bahamas.¹⁰ Many people are afraid to go to doctor to get a checkup, which results in 6.6% of adults have never gotten their blood pressures measured; when separating them into sex disparities men 10.5% vs. women at 3%.¹¹ Data indicates that a measure must be taken to control hypertension. Low health literacy can be linked to several things such as misinterpretation of medication labels, more frequent hospitalization, and poor health incomes.⁷ 

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