Plain Language Discussion - Assignment Example

? M7 Discussion Plain Language Discussion Effective learning is dependent on the learning style applied and usually preferdifferent learning styles ranging from visual, auditory and kinesthetic to a combination of all or either of the two styles. Personally, I learn best through a combination of auditory and visual learning styles. Lecture attendance provides me with the opportunity to learn through a variety of visual cues such handouts, diagrams, charts, body language and facial expressions of the instructor as well as auditory learning. Participation in class and study groups particularly plays a critical role in enhancing my capacity to retain information. However, some information may be better understood through visual learning especially where certain patterns represent information such as trends in disease prevalence. My learning is significantly interfered by noise and unnecessary disruptions in the process of trying to read and comprehend some information. Noise significantly interferes with my learning through the audio learning style because some important information may go unheard leading to limited understanding of the intended information. Online courses have emerged as convenient and effective way passing knowledge to learners at all levels of education. Online courses provide an excellent venue for accommodating different learning styles through incorporation of video-taped lectures or audio-taped lectures, video clips, slide presentations, clickable diagrams, multimedia, interactive programs, formal and informal discussion platforms, and hypertext among other cues such as directed studies. Through these online components, students are able to expose to both audio and auditory learning styles leading to enhanced grasp of information. However, the effectiveness of the various online teaching methods is dependent on the ability of students to acquire and develop skills of a successful online learner. M7 Assessment Disease Prevention Disease Prevention is the selected health activity among the list of health activities listed in the left column whereas the selected task is the implementation of prevention measures or taking preventive action. Disease prevention is a major health activity which involves several tasks including determination of risk factors, carrying out screens and diagnostic test and implementation of preventive measures (Rudd, Kirsch & Yamamoto, 2004). Implementation of such tasks plays an important role the promotion of good health as well as contributes to the prevention preventable health behavior-related diseases or health conditions. The target populations for the prevention action teaching efforts include children between the age of 6 and 17 years from the minority communities and women in the same communities aged between 18 and 45 years. The targeted children population faces increased cases of untreated decay in their permanent teeth among other dental conditions. As such, the children and parents need to understand the risk factors for tooth decay and the available preventive measures. Children in the selected age bracket need proper guidance from the parents, a phenomenon that triggers a necessity to educate women on the various preventive actions they can take to avert the development of teeth decay among their young children. Untreated tooth decay is particularly rampant among the Asian community living in San Diego, United States. Therefore, the teaching is targeted to the children and women of the Asian community living in the city of San Diego. The city comprises of the highest proportion of Asian Americans and is expected to have a relatively higher number of teeth decay cases among children from the minority communities. Key Messages to Teach Each Group One of the key lessons to teach the children and the women from the selected community revolves the understanding that tooth decay among children can actually be prevented with the right preventive actions. The specific message for the children and parents is ‘Decay of teeth can be prevented if you practice proper oral hygiene including brushing or cleaning your teeth after every meal and frequent examination by dentists’. Secondly, the children and the women need to understand the causes or factors associated with teeth decay and the risks associated with conditions. The clear message for these populations is failure to clean your teeth frequently leads to accumulation of bacteria on the teeth causing decay. The consequences of teeth decay include bad breath, and lose of teeth leading to embarrassment and the risk for gum diseases as well as increased risk for cancer. Lastly, the children need to understand the effective preventive actions such as the use sealants and fluoridated water and the importance of visiting the dentist frequently for dental checkups. Therefore, the key message here is the need for frequent cleaning of teeth, the use of sealants, fluoridated water and ensuring frequent assessments by dentists. Assessing the Population to Determine the Best Way of Conveying the Messages The first step is to assess the education levels of the women through a guided questionnaire. This will be appropriate to decide on the appropriate language and level engagement. For the children, it is important to identify their level of education in terms of grades in order to select the easiest ways for conveying the messages based on the school grade. These messages can be delivered to the target population through school-based education programs incorporating parents. The education program can make use of PowerPoint presentations, one-on-one interaction and assessment of the children in the presence of their parents and supply of flyers designed with cartoons to drive the messages in an entertaining manner. M7 Fry Method Robinson, J. (2013). Breeding the nutrition out of our food. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/opinion/sunday/breeding-the-nutrition-out-of-our-food.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 The title of the selected article is “Breeding the nutrition out of our food”. The message is target at the general public to educate them on the roles that nutrition can play in reducing the risk for health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, dementia and cardiovascular diseases. The article focuses on the research suggestions on the importance of certain foods in preventing certain health conditions and promotion of good health. For example the purple potato native to Peru has been found to have 28 times more cancer-fighting anthocyanins compared to other species of potatoes. The article discusses suggested phytonutrients contents in various wild plants currently finding their way into supermarkets. Calculation of reading levels by hand 1st passage “Each fruit and vegetable in our stores has a unique history of nutrient loss. Throughout the ages, our farming ancestors have chosen the least bitter plants to grow in their gardens. It is now known that many of the most beneficial phytonutrients have a bitter, sour or astringent taste. Second, early farmers favored plants that were relatively low in fiber and high in sugar, starch and oil. These energy-dense plants were pleasurable to eat and provided the calories needed to fuel a strenuous lifestyle. The more palatable our fruits and vegetables became; the less advantageous they were for our health.” (Robinson, 2013). Word count = 100 Syllables =165 No of sentences = 6 Second Passage “When European colonists first arrived in North America, they came upon what they called “Indian corn.” John Winthrop Jr., governor of the colony of Connecticut in the mid-1600s, observed that American Indians grew “corne with great variety of colours,” citing “red, yellow, blew, olive colour, and greenish, and some very black and some of intermediate degrees.” A few centuries later, we would learn that black, red and blue corn is rich in anthocyanins. Anthocyanins have the potential to fight cancer, calm inflammation, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, protect the aging brain, and reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.” (Robinson, 2013) Words = 100 Syllables = 177 No of sentences = 5 Third Passage: “EUROPEAN settlers were content with this colorful corn until the summer of 1779 when they found something more delectable — a yellow variety with sweeter and more tender kernels. This unusual variety came to light that year after George Washington ordered a scorched-earth campaign against Iroquois tribes. While the militia was destroying the food caches of the Iroquois and burning their crops, soldiers came across a field of extra-sweet yellow corn. According to one account, a lieutenant named Richard Bagnal took home some seeds to share with others. Our old-fashioned sweet corn is a direct descendant of these spoils of war.” (Robinson, 2013) Words=100 Syllables =170 No. of sentences= 5 Average syllables = (170 + 177+ 165)/3 = 170.6 Average sentences = (5+5+6)/3= 5.3 (Pfizer, n.d.) Plotting of the averages on the Fry Graph estimates the article’s reading age to be above 14 or grade 14. Manual calculation of the article readability is a tedious process with the most difficult part involving the counting of syllables for each passage. However, application of the Fry Method to determine the grade level using the Fry Graph presents minimal challenges with the graph being available in different websites for use. Reading levels in health care documents is affected by several factors including extremely lengthy sentences, use of complex scientific terms, long words and limited understanding of the scientific diction. The use of readability electronic calculator is a simple and quick way of estimating the readability levels and could as well be of great benefit when determining the readability of large consumer health documents. References Pfizer. (n.d.). Using readability formulas. Retrieved from http://www.pfizerhealthliteracy.com/asset/pdf/Using-Readability-Formulas.pdf Robinson, J. (2013). Breeding the nutrition out of our food. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/opinion/sunday/breeding-the-nutrition-out-of-our-food.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Rudd, R. E., Kirsch, I., & Yamamoto, K. (2004). Health activities, materials, and tasks [Chart ETS Policy Report #19]. Retrieved from Harvard School of Public Health website: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy/files/2013/01/health_actvities_materials_tasks_chart.pdf Read More