HELP
(Health Education Literacy Program)
Teaching Reading and Health Together
FAQs
“HELP (Health Education Literacy Program):
Teaching Reading and Health Together”
Designed for use with the book,
What to Do When Your Child Gets Sick
What is health literacy?
 The ability of individuals to obtain, interpret, and understand basic health
information and to use such information and services in ways that enhance
health. (Source: American Cancer Society, National Health Education Standards)

The ability to read and comprehend basic concepts and tasks needed to
function sufficiently in the health care system (Source: U.S. Department of
Adult Education, Fact Sheet 20)
Thus, health literacy is not just reading health information but also understanding and
properly acting on this information. Health literacy contributes to civics education by
helping non-native speakers of English navigate the American institution of healthcare in
order to make effective health decisions for their children. This project provides a
functionally contextual assessment and curriculum based on common childhood
medical problems that will help ESL learners develop listening, speaking, reading, and
writing skills needed to solve healthcare issues for their children.
Why is health an important issue for ESL literacy programs?
 In a National Survey of State Directors of Adult Education, priority ratings were
given to health within the context of adult learning. (Source: National Center for
the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy Report #9)

Participants in ESL literacy classes are members of families and communities
who can act as effective channels for health promotion among people in low
income and minority populations. (Source: National Center for the Study of Adult
Learning and Literacy Report #9)

As parents, health issues are of vital importance to adults and may help provide
motivation for learning basic literacy and communication skills. (Source:
National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy Report #9)
Health issues create attendance problems as well as academic performance problems in
adult education programs. In many cases, adult learners miss classes due to sick
children or other family members. Thus, better health contributes to the retention of
ESL learners in adult education programs.
What needs does IHA’s HELP (Health Education Literacy Program) Curriculum meet?
 Need for a functionally contextual curriculum that enhances the learning of health
and language by ESL learners through meaningful content. In a National Survey
of State Directors of Adult Education (Source: National Center for the Study of
Adult Learning and Literacy Report #9), one of the two most frequently listed
barriers to inclusion of health within the context of adult learning was lack of
curriculum materials. Specifically, respondents indicated that teachers lack
resources to teach appropriate health issues and need a curriculum that also
teaches basic education skills, especially one that is multicultural in its approach
and meets the needs of ESL learners.

Need for a better match between reading level of students and readability level of
health-related materials. Studies found large discrepancies between the
readability levels of patient education materials and reading levels of the audience
for which they are intended. (Source: National Center for the Study of Adult
Learning and Literacy Report #14) Most health education print materials are
written at or above the 10th grade level. (Source: Northeast SABES January
2000 Conference) However, the average reading level among all U.S. adults is
no higher than an 8th-grade level – and only a 5th-grade level for Medicaid
enrollees. (Source: Journal of American Geriatric Society)

Need for a functionally contextual screening inventory that assesses different
aspects of communication and health knowledge. Limited literacy affects
listening and speaking abilities as well as reading ability. Decontextualized
medical language may be difficult for those who are poorly educated and those
for whom English is a second language. (Source: National Center for the Study of
Adult Learning and Literacy Report #14)

Need for the development of a visual dictionary of medical terms for ESL
populations. Researchers recommend the use of illustrations to increase patient
comprehension, especially among low-literate populations. (Source: National
Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy Report #14) This is
especially important for non-native speakers who may have a wealth of
background knowledge but lack the verbal language to express themselves or
make sense of information.

Need for a focus on children’s health. Children's health in the U.S. is cited as a
priority issue. (Source: Children's Defense Fund 1997 Report) Parents’ literacy
affects their ability to follow prescribed therapy for their children. (Source:
National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy Report #14)

Need for the inclusion of health education in adult education programs. In a
national survey of adult basic educators, 93% of the respondents indicated that the
adult learning setting was an appropriate setting for teaching and learning
about health. Teachers indicated that health lessons increased skills in dialogue
and discussion, vocabulary building, reading, language development, and critical
thinking—all skills needed by ESL learners. They suggested that health was
more advantageous than other topics in terms of contributing to learner
interest, participation, and motivation. (Source: National Center for the Study
of Adult Learning and Literacy Report #8)
This curriculum addresses the development of literacy and communications skills in ESL
adults by using the health and well being of their children as a motivator. Thus, the
increased ability to navigate the intricacies of the healthcare system provides a powerful
driving force for the ESL learner to remain in the adult education program because
the content of this curriculum is personally meaningful and relevant. The readability
level of What To Do When Your Child Gets Sick more closely parallels the reading
abilities of ESL learners. What To Do When Your Child Gets Sick is also available in
Spanish, which makes it usable by bi-literate learners and learners who are literate in
Spanish but not literate in English. The screening inventory developed in this project
helps ensure that teachers are more able to meet the communication needs of individual
non-native speakers of English by specifically assessing their health literacy in terms of
listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English. The visual and text glossaries of
medical terms in the book will help make concepts within the book accessible to those
individuals whose reading levels in English are below 2nd grade and to beginning,
limited English speakers. Simple, easy-to-use teacher directions accompany each
exercise. This allows paraprofessionals and volunteers as well as teachers to effectively
use the materials to assist ESL learners.
Who were the curriculum writers who developed this project?
Rhonda Atkinson, Ph.D., has written numerous textbooks on reading and study
strategies for developmental students. She has also developed curricula for low-literate
readers in the areas of corrections education, environmental literacy, construction trades,
commercial driver's licensure, and health/safety for childcare providers.
Catherine Frazier, MSE, has over 20 years of experience in teaching English overseas
and is an internationally known expert in the area of ESL instruction. The instructional
series she authored is widely used in Asia and other parts of the world. She currently
teaches ESL students at both the post-secondary and elementary school levels.
Tom Atkinson, Ph.D., has developed software for nearly 25 years. His projects include
database applications, information kiosks, and multimedia Web-based instruction. He
currently teaches graduate courses in Educational Technology at Central Missouri State
University.
How were topics for this project selected?
Twenty topics from What To Do When Your Child Gets Sick were selected for use in the
project. The topics that were selected were identified as those which were most basic
(e.g., safety; what to do when your child has a fever) or most applicable to school-age
children (e.g., head lice, impetigo).
How are the topics used instructionally?
Each topic forms a single, stand-alone unit that can be used in any order. In addition,
each unit is developmentally graded so that every unit is usable and functional for
learners at all levels. A teacher or facilitator might choose topics based on knowledge of
what learners need or learners might assist in selecting topics they want to know more
about.
What materials are available in each unit?
The HELP Curriculum contains an Assessment Tool, a Visual Glossary, and a Textual
Glossary, Additionally, each unit includes an Index and the vocabulary for the unit in a
word bank. Words are classified as:
 Level 1 (most basic proficiency – zero to minimal listening and speaking skills;
very limited/no reading and writing skills)
 Level 2 (intermediate proficiency – minimal to advanced listening and speaking
skills; limited reading and writing skills), and
 Level 3 words and phrasals (advanced proficiency; functional communicative
skills in listening and speaking; intermediate [approximately 5th-6th grade]
reading and writing skills).
There are three levels of Scenarios, and Activities classified into 5 areas:
 Listening
 Speaking
 Reading
 Writing
 Thinking
Each of these activity areas has a combination of documents across the 1-2-3 skill levels,
to be used as the teacher sees fit.
If you have questions, or would like to order copies of the book, What To Do When Your
Child Gets Sick, contact the Institute for Healthcare Advancement, 15111 E. Whittier
Blvd., Suite 460, Whittier, CA 90603, (800) 434-4633, or visit the Web site at
www.iha4health.org.