Background:Today the internet is a major source of health information, and younger generations have more confidence in their digital information seeking skills and awareness of online resources than older generations. Older generations, however, are more in demand of health services. The aim of our study was to explore these generational differences as related to self-perceived eHealth literacy and health care system utilization.Methods:A cross-sectional survey study with 522 subjects was done in Hungary. Every subject belonged to one of four generations (Baby boomers, X, Y, and Z). The Web-based survey was designed and tested in English-speaking countries and translated into Hungarian for the present study. Variables include Internet health information seeking, eHealth literacy (measured by eHeals score), the self-perceived gain in empowerment by that information, and the number of health care appointments. One-way ANOVA was used for comparing the scores of the generations, and correlational and linear regression analysis was employed within the generations for further data analysis.Results:We found significant differences among the generations in eHealth literacy as well as in the self-perceived gain in empowerment: while Boomers were the generation with the lowest eHeals scores, they showed the highest empowerment. Internet health information seeking behavior showed no differences. While subjects who use the Internet more frequently to search for health information have worse self-rated health status, the ones with higher eHeals scores report better subjective health status. We also identified the associations of the above variables within the older generations (Boomers and X) with the frequency of using health-care services: within the generation of Boomers the number of health care appointments was only associated with Internet health information seeking, while in Generation X with eHeals.Conclusions:Baby boomers seek Internet health information as often as the younger generations, which provides a solid motivation for developing their eHealth literacy skills. We find it crucial to plan the Hungarian health promotion programmes utilizing this high frequency of Internet health information seeking, since the eHealth literacy skills of older generations have an effect on their subjective health status, and they are the most capable of applying information in making decisions.

Inroduction: The efficiency of healing is determined by the ability of the patients to comprehend and to apply properly the information provided by the doctors. This ability is influenced by age, intelligence and social background, but above all by health literacy. Aim: The aim of the present study was to translate and adapt the Hungarian version of the Short-Test of Functional Health Literacy, which is a performance based measure and the perception-based Chew screening questions for health literacy in Hungary. Method: The sample consisted of 302 people, and it was closely representative for the Hungarian population. Results: The reliability of the reading part of the Short-Test of Functional Health Literacy was excellent, and it was also acceptable regarding the Chew screening questions, but it showed low internal consistency concerning the numeracy part of the Short-Test of Functional Health Literacy. Based on the Short-Test of Functional Health Literacy reading scores, participants were categorized into three groups: 8% had inadequate, 6% marginal and 86% adequate health literacy levels. Regarding participants without a chronic illness tended to possess higher health literacy levels based on all the three measurments. Conclusions: The availability of these measures of health literacy in Hungary can play a crucial role in doctor-patient communication as well as health promotion, that can contribute to develop health literacy policies leading to reduced health care costs in the future. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(23), 905–915.

The purpose of this study is to explore functional health literacy (FHL) and numeracy skills in an insulin-treated, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patient population, and their impact on diabetes self-care activities. A non-experimental, cross-sectional quantitative design was used for this study. The sample consisted of 102 T2DM patients on insulin therapy, including 42 males and 60 females, with a mean age of 64.75 years (SD = 9.180) and an average diabetes duration of 10.76 years (SD = 6.702). Independent variables were sociodemographic variables (e.g., age, educational level, etc.) and diabetes and health-related factors (e.g., duration of diabetes (years), the frequency of blood glucose testing/day, etc.). For this study, the participants completed the reading comprehension exercise from the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy (S-TOFHLA) and the Shortened Version of the Diabetes Numeracy Test (DNT-15), which specifically evaluates the numeracy skills of patients living with diabetes. The associations between the variables were examined with Spearman’s rank correlation. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to examine whether measured FHL skills impact diabetes self-care activities. We found that DNT-15 test (β = 0.174, t(96) = 2.412, p < 0.018) had significant effect on the frequency of blood glucose testing/day. Moreover, the problem areas for patients with T2DM mostly included multi-step calculations according to food label interpretations, and adequate insulin dosage based on current blood glucose levels and carbohydrate intake. The results of regression analyses and Spearman’s rank correlation indicated that limited FHL and diabetes numeracy skills not only influenced the participants’ behaviors related to self-management, but they also affected their health outcomes. Thus, besides the personalization of insulin treatment, it is indispensable to provide more precise information on different types of insulin administration and more refined educational materials based on medical nutrition therapy.

We set out to measure the health literacy (HL) of COPD patients using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy (S-TOFHLA), perception-based screening questions (BHLS), and a specific disease knowledge test (COPD-Q). Our main focus is the relationship between functional HL and patients’ disease-knowledge, which contributes to the clarification of the relationship between the different kinds of HL. In two prospective observational studies, 151 COPD patients (80 males, mean age: 62 ± 9 years) completed a questionnaire containing HL measurements, psychological tests (e.g., the Self-Control and Self-Management Scale), and questions regarding subjective health status. Medical data of the patients from the MedSole system were added. The HL scores of the COPD patients were compared to a representative sample using a t-test. Furthermore, correlations of HL with demographic, psychological, and medical variables were calculated within the patient group. The relations among the different HL measurements were tested by chi-square trials. COPD patients had significantly lower HL, as measured by S-TOFHLA. Younger and higher educated patients possessed higher S-TOFHLA scores. Unlike the demographic variables, general self-management showed significant correlations with both BHLS and with COPD-Q. Out of the medical variables, objective health status was associated with BHLS and COPD-Q. Neither BHLS nor S-TOFHLA had a correlation with COPD-Q, but they correlated with each other. We found S-TOFHLA to be a better tool in the medical context. There is a clear gap between self-perceived/functional HL and the necessary disease knowledge. Rehabilitation care for patients with lower HL was more advantageous.

Összefoglaló. Bevezetés: Magyarországon a KSH szerint több mint 1 millió ismert cukorbeteg él. A diabetes karbantartásához elengedhetetlen a betegek tudásának, készségeinek és önhatékonyságának növelése és fenntartása. A legelterjedtebb diabetes-betegségismeretteszt a 23 kérdéses Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Test. Első 14 tétele általános tudást mér, például az ételek tápanyagtartalmával és a vércukorszint-változás okaival kapcsolatban. További 9 kérdése az inzulinhasználatról szól. Célkitűzés: Célunk ennek a tesztnek a magyar nyelvű validálása, valamint összefüggéseinek vizsgálata szociodemográfiai és betegségváltozókkal. Módszer: Keresztmetszeti kérdőíves kutatásunkban a tesztcsomagot 129, inzulint használó, 2-es típusú diabeteses beteg töltötte ki (84 nő, átlagéletkor: 59,67; szórás: 12,6) elsősorban online, betegszervezeteken keresztül. Eredmények: A betegségismeret-teszt belső konzisztenciája 0,603, ami elfogadható érték. A 23 kérdés helyes kitöltési arányának átlaga 81,66%, ami az amerikai arányokhoz hasonló, más kutatások speciális csoportjaihoz képest azonban kifejezetten magas érték. A válaszadók a ketoacidosis fogalmát, az egyes ételek tápanyag-összetevőit és az elfogyasztott ételek vércukorszintre gyakorolt hatását illető kérdésekre tudták a választ a legkevésbé. A magyar teszt a szakirodalomnak megfelelő gyenge, negatív irányú összefüggésben áll az életkorral, és pozitív a kapcsolata az inzulinhasználat hosszával, valamint a napi vércukorszintmérés és inzulinbeadás számával. A betegségismeretet függetlenül egyedül a napi vércukorszintmérés mennyisége jósolta meg. A teszt konvergens validitását mutatja gyenge, de szignifikáns összefüggése az egészségértést mérő Brief Health Literacy Screening kérdésekkel. Következtetés: A magyar nyelvű Diabetes Betegségismeret Teszt alkalmas a diabetesszel élők tudásszintjének felmérésére. Mintánkban a betegségismeret magas szintje az inzulint használók megfelelő edukációjával függhet össze. Ugyanakkor eredményeink felhívják a figyelmet a betegek diétával kapcsolatos magasabb szintű tudásának szükségességére. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(22): 870–877. Summary. Introduction: According to the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, more than 1 million diabetic patients live in Hungary. It is essential to enhance and sustain the knowledge, skills and self-efficacy of patients. The most widely used measurement of illness knowledge is the 23-item Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Test (DKT). Its first 14 items measure general knowledge: the nutritional value of food, and causes of change in blood glucose level. Its further 9 items are about insulin usage. Objective: To examine the reliability and the validity of the Hungarian version of DKT2 as well as its association with sociodemographic and illness-related variables. Methods: In our cross-sectional quantitative study, 129 patients (84 women, mean age: 59.67; SD = 12.6) diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus using insulin therapy filled in a questionnaire online. Results: The α coefficient for the test is 0.603, which is acceptable. The mean of the correct answer rate is 81.66%, which resembles the American results, but it is higher than that of other specific groups. Problem areas for our patients included interpreting ketoacidosis, the nutritional value of foods and the effect of foods on blood glucose level. The score of the Hungarian test – in accordance with the literature – correlates negatively with age, positively with the year of insulin-usage and with the number of daily insulin intake and of blood glucose measurement. Illness knowledge was independently predicted only by the number of daily blood glucose measurement. The convergent validity of the Hungarian test is supported by its weak but significant association with Brief Health Literacy Screen questions. Conclusion: The Hungarian DKT2 properly measures the illness knowledge of diabetic patients. Their high level of knowledge can be traced back to the speciality of the subjects as well as to the overall education of insulin users. Nevertheless, our results draw attention to the necessity of enhancing the level of dietetic knowledge of patients. Orv Hetil. 2020; 162(22): 870–877.

The present study combines literary theory and cognitive psychology to empirically explore some cognitive and emotional facets of poetry reading, exemplified by the reading of three Shakespeare sonnets. Specifically, predictions generated combining quantitative textual analysis according to the Neurocognitive Poetics model with qualitative textual analysis based on the Foregrounding assessment Matrix of sonnets no. 27, 60 and 66 are empirically tested by analyzing 45 subjects’ ratings of the three sonnets. Reflecting the differences in foregrounding potential of the three sonnets found in the textual analysis, we expected to find different reader responses, accordingly. Our dependent variables are well-established categories of emotional evaluation (e.g. valence and arousal) and cognitive, affective and aesthetic aspects of readers’ responses (e.g. liking and understanding) as well as less common ones (e.g. wonder, delight and mental images). The statistical analyses suggest that the type of foregrounding is more important than the number of foregrounded elements. This finding motivated further qualitative exploration of reader responses to open questions regarding mental images and perceived feelings. Comparing the free recall data about the feelings perceived in the sonnets with the ratings data about Valence and Arousal indicated that only the former one reflects a clear distinction between all three sonnets, whereas the readers’ overall evaluations did not sustain this variety of feelings. Multi-method, interdisciplinary research of this kind contributes to improving our understanding of the potentially unique mechanisms involved in poetry reception, and to forming more precise hypotheses for future experimental studies using, for example, eye tracking.