Swine Flu and the Repercussions of Health Literacy

A few years ago, we were shocked by the Avian Influenza, a virus that occurs naturally in birds. The virus started in Asia and people across the world were scared to eat poultry because of the potentially fatal illness.

 

Enter 2009 and the swine flu. According to the Center of Disease Control, the swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs that is contagious and spreads from human to human.

 

So far, the flu has claimed more than 150 lives in Mexico and one in Texas.

 

For those who may not be able to speak for themselves or use advanced vocabulary, verbalize questions in a medical setting, or understand basic instructions without an interpreter, comprehending information related to personal or public health may be difficult.

 

In some classes, Project Learn teachers felt it was appropriate to explain the virus and potential effect it may have on the country.

 

Although many students heard about the flu virus on television, newspapers or in general conversation, some could not understand what was being discussed. They didn’t know what words like “epidemic” and “pandemic” meant.

 

This is a serious problem, especially when the general public is at risk.

 

Imagine what the consequences are for people who don’t know the importance of washing their hands after they sneeze or don’t take their medication correctly. Think about how many people could be less sick, or even cured, if they did.

 

Going beyond swine flu, this has a direct relationship with health literacy.

 

Health literacy refers to the ability to read and have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.

 

One in five adults read at or below the 5^th grade reading level, but most health materials are written at the 10^th grade level or above. Newspapers aren’t always easy to understand either, even though some, like USA Today, is written at a 4^th grade level.

 

Here are a few impediments that may make it difficult for non-English speakers or adults with poor literacy skills in developing health literacy:

• Lack of access to basic health care due to language barriers or lack of insurance.

• Lack of language skills. Learners may be unable to speak for themselves, use sophisticated vocabulary, formulate appropriate questions in a medical setting, or comprehend basic instructions without an interpreter.

• Lack of awareness of U.S. healthcare culture, including what is expected of the patient and what the patient can expect of care providers (Courtesy of the Center of English Language Acquisition).

It is important that doctors, nurses, teachers and other individuals pay attention to the signs that indicate a person has low health literacy skills. By helping them understand what is needed to stay healthy, you can prevent them from engaging in activities that could harm themselves or others. (See what we’re doing.)

 

What are you doing to communicate swine flu?

 

Hooray for Earth Day!

To celebrate Earth Day, Project Learn students discussed ways they can make the Earth more liveable.

Our goal was to inspire students to appreciate the Earth and its environment, but to also be mindful on how we use natural resources, including trees and water. In some classes, teachers started the day by sharing a few statistics, such as these:

• It takes about 35 gallons of water to produce one cup of coffee.
• It takes about 700 gallons of water to make one cotton T-shirt.
• It takes about 630 gallons to produce one hamburger.

So, the students were instructed to come up with ways to be more conservative. This is what they said:

Recycle paper, aluminum and plastic.

Use green bags at the grocery store, instead of paper or plastic bags.

Don’t litter.

Turn used paper into scrap paper.

Unplug your computer or TV at night.

Turn off the lights when you’re not in the room.

Ride your bike.

Use carpools.

One student reminded me that Earth Day should be celebrated year-round to make a significant difference, which is true. Our students made a change. What are you doing?

Discrimination or Fair Play?

The majority of my ESOL Conversations students don’t work. They complain about how hard it is to find a job, or even volunteer work. But for good reason. There have even been some employers who say they don’t like the way the students speak English. Say what?

Yup, it’s true. This really happened.

So, when one of my students told me that she was hired as a nurse assistant at a local hospital, I was thrilled.

She credited the class for helping her to be able to express herself and feel comfortable holding conversations with people whose native language is English (her native language is Chinese).

She attended a local community college and took courses so she could become a certified nurse assistant. Once she passed, she started job hunting. She was so excited and couldn’t wait to share her good news with the rest of the class.

After one week on the job, Jin Hong was beat. Even though she’d only been in the nursing field for a week, the staff gave her the most patients. She was responsible for taking care of nine people, while other staffers had six or seven. I suggested to Jin Hong to communicate her frustrations with the team leader. That didn’t go so well. The team leader told her to “suck it up” because the other workers had to experience the same workload when they first started.

But it wasn’t just the workload that was the problem. Jin Hong just wanted advice on how to handle so many patients. Since she was new, she just looked to her co-workers for support and a little guidance.

Despite her many attempts to communicate her frustrations, she got nowhere. They would say, “I don’t have time to help you” or “I can’t understand what you’re saying.” After only two weeks at the hospital, Jin Hong quit.

When she explained her dilemma to the class, we all felt her pain. Jin Hong only wanted to put her skills and education to use, doing something she loved: helping other people.

But thanks to insensitivity, Jin Hong not only lost a job, but the hospital lost a good employee.

Troubled Economy = Troubled Students

During these difficult and unsettling times, it is hard to not be overwhelmed with the state of our local and national economy. You can’t avoid the continued news on television or in the newspaper about more people losing their jobs and their homes.

The students that come to Project Learn are greatly affected by the troubled economy. More and more formerly employed individuals are attending orientation and starting classes. These students feel the pressure to get their GED or improve their skills as quickly as possible so that they can get a job that will pay a living wage. The stress is intense for these individuals. Unfortunately, the pressure to get their GED and past academic experiences seem to scare them into thinking that they can’t succeed.

As spring finally arrives in Ohio, we are reminded of the reemergence and growth that happens during this season. We can use it as a way to help friends, colleagues and students remain optimistic and hopeful that times will get better.

The local community needs our services now more than ever. We must make sure our students have the resources they need to survive these hard times despite of how daunting the future may seem. Increased skills will help them become more marketable when applying for jobs and better able to transition on to further education and training.

Gender Roles in America and Abroad

Project Learn’s ESOL Conversations class is not your ordinary English For Speakers of Other Languages course. In this class, students already understand the English language, but need to work on their conversational skills.

It’s hard to interview for a job or make friends when you can’t engage in a conversation, but this class addresses these issues. We try to help the students become familiar with English idioms and get comfortable living in America by learning how to speak American English.

Below is a video of a few students discussing the roles of men and women in their home countries. From China to Puerto Rico, they discuss the roles and responsibilities of men and women in the home and abroad, the perceptions of an angry woman, and how men dress determine how they are perceived by others.

It was interesting to see that even though the students were instructed to answer questions based on their native countries, their answers were more similar to thoughts and ideas in America than different.

This may be my personal opinion, but I have noticed that in America:

• Men who were pink are considered to have female qualities or thought of as “gay.”
• Women are expected to keep care of the children and house, while men make money to take care of his family. In some cases, women take care of responsibilities at home in addition to working.
• Women who appear angry in public are perceived more negatively than men. However, it is OK for women to cry in public. When men cry publicly, they are labeled as “soft” or too sensitive.
• In my educational career, the majority of teachers in my elementary and middle schools were female. In college, I had more male teachers. This is similar to what Xi Gi observed in China.
• Although it appears as if women talk much more than men, a recent study showed that men talk as much as women… depending on the topic. The study showed that both sexes speak about 16,000 words a day.

Although this may seem like a simple discussion, if English is not your native language, it’s pretty tough.  It’s easier for the students to talk about issues and topics that are familiar to them. By doing this, students are more likely to feel at ease when speaking in public and having conversations with fluent English speakers.