[Validation of a questionnaire on health literacy among Francophones in situation of linguistic minority]. / Validation d'un questionnaire sur l'alphabétisme en santé des francophones en situation linguistique minoritaire.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to develop and test the qualitative validity of a French questionnaire. The questionnaire explored the mechanisms by which Francophone in situation of linguistic minority mobilize their social capital and cultural assets in terms of health literacy. METHODS: We used evidence derived from a previous qualitative study in which we elaborated the characteristics of social capital and cultural assets. Drawing on models of social capital and self-determination of language behaviour in Francophone in situation of linguistic minority, 21 items were developed and assessed to confirm content validity. For this purpose, cognitive interviews were conducted with 92 natural experts. These cognitive interviews tested the linguistic and content validity of the instrument. Consultations with research professionals were also conducted to increase content validity. RESULTS: Parsimony and simplicity were tested by application of the Flesch test. The results demonstrate that 19 questions (93%) corresponded to the general public, relatively simple, and everyday use categories. Natural experts confirmed the readability and simplicity of the questionnaire. CONCLUSION: This study addressed a lack of simple and readable questionnaire for collecting data among Francophone in situation of linguistic minority. The findings underscore the lack of evidence related to the familiar construction of health literacy among members of this population.

[Health education: social representations of young people's concerns in Canada]. / Education à la santé : représentations sociales des préoccupations des jeunes du Canada.

INTRODUCTION: In Canada, statistics show that young people are increasingly affected by health problems. As a result, the curriculum has been adapted to include health education and to meet the need for special health programs. But what do we really know about adolescents' and pre-service teachers'perceptions of health problems? METHODS: An exploratory study was conducted using open and closed questions among 296 young people and 307 pre-service teachers from New Brunswick and Quebec. RESULTS: The data show that there were fewer differences between students and teachers in NB than between students and teachers in QC. CONCLUSION: The results provide a basis for considering the kinds of activities that need to be made available to young people.

Patterns in information strategies used by older men to understand and deal with prostate cancer: an application of the modélisation qualitative research design.

BACKGROUND: The increasing need of older individuals to safely self-manage their chronic illnesses requires that they clearly understand health-related information. Thus, this study examined health literacy as lived by men with prostate cancer (PC), rather than as assessed by professionals. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe, analyse, and understand informational strategies of men with PC. The main objective was to describe these strategies according to self-assessed levels of functional health literacy and thus create an inventory of strategy characteristics. DESIGN: The modélisation qualitative research design framed this inquiry. SETTINGS: Montreal and Laval, province of Québec, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: The purposive sample comprised 15 French-Canadian men aged 61-83, most of whom were enroled in a PC support group. Recruitment and selection was assisted by the support group's chairman and a volunteer recruiter. Selection criteria were medical diagnosis of localised PC, childhood spent in Québec, ability to self-assess functional health literacy, effective oral communication in French, no use of psychotropic drugs, and normal time and space orientation. METHODS: Data collection involved semi-structured interviews and drawing of genograms and ecomaps. The qualitative-data-analysis software Atlas. ti (Version 4.1 for Windows) was used to code the interview data. Findings were also subjected to content analysis. Six volunteers examined and confirmed the authors' interpretation of the findings. RESULTS: Functional health literacy was cultivated throughout participants' lives and nourished by their social and cultural resources. A history of reading at home, interest in learning, supportive family and elementary school environments developed open-minded, critical-information-seeking older men. The findings did not support any association among formal education, level of health literacy, and ways of dealing with PC-related information. The construction of information networks provided participants with knowledge and with emotional and spiritual support to cope with PC. Men with different levels of health literacy had both unique and similar information strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Participants' decisions to adopt specific information strategies were influenced by awareness of impacts of PC on men's lives, construction and maintenance of information networks, as well as participants' critique of health information. Through their information strategies, participants regained decision-making power over their bodies and destinies, and then redefined their social roles.