Category: We Heart Health Literacy

We hope your 2015 has been filled with plain language, clear design, and calls to action!

And we wish you, our dear readers, a very happy and healthy holiday season!

Cheers,
Your friends at CommunicateHealth

[Editor’s note: We have a few hardcore Star Wars nerds here at We ❤ Health Literacy headquarters and their enthusiasm in these final days before the release of The Force Awakens has gotten unbearable. In an effort to distract them, we’ve given them this week’s post — sincere apologies to all you non-Star Wars lovers out there.]

The wisdom of Star Wars has been applied to just about everything — from religion to psychology to philosophy. So why not health literacy? Drop your blasters and get some health literacy tips from a galaxy far, far away.

Have a clear main message. Remember the good Star Wars movies? About those kids who fight evil and save the galaxy? That clarity worked. The ones about the trade embargo that is actually just a ruse disguising a power play by the senator from Naboo, who secretly is — well, those didn’t work quite as well.

Test (and retest) your materials. Clearly, the Empire needed to do more prototype testing. How else can we explain the obvious flaws in the construction of the Death Star’s thermal exhaust port and reactor? You know, the ones that got it blown up — twice?

Use plain language. Think about all the famous Star Wars quotes: “May the Force be with you,” “I am your father,” and “Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi — you’re my only hope.” Simple and direct. And sure, technically they’re called All Terrain Armored Transports, but everyone calls them walkers. Always use language that regular people use.

Cut everything that’s not essential. As it turned out, Luke did just fine without that hand.

Keep it simple. Did you see Yoda living in a splendid palace befitting his status as the greatest Jedi in the galaxy, pampered by Rodian and Twi’lek servants? Nope — dude is living solo in a boggy tree trunk. If ever a Muppet embodied the principles of simplicity, it’s him. (Just don’t write like Yoda — know what we mean, you do, hmm?)

The bottom line: May the Force be with you, health literacy fans. And let’s hope Episode VII is one of the good ones.

Cancer is a confusing, scary subject — so it’s no surprise that it’s also a tricky one to write about.

As you know, dear readers, communicating about cancer involves a lot of complex terminology. And when people are under a lot of stress (like when they’re worried about cancer), their reading comprehension drops regardless of their usual level of health literacy.

So before you use a complex cancer term, always ask yourself if there’s a simpler, more direct replacement that’s still medically accurate. For example:

“If the cancer is metastatic, you may need different treatment.” Instead of using “metastatic,” can you say, “If the cancer has spread”?

“We will run tests to find out if the tumor is benign or malignant.” Try to avoid words like “benign” and “malignant” — and even the confusing word “tumor” when possible. Instead, you could just say, “We will run tests to find out if you have cancer.”

“You may need a biopsy of the prostate tissue.” Leave out the jargon word “tissue” and say where it’s coming from (in this case, the prostate).

“Biopsy” is trickier. With some audiences, you could simply call it a test. But if you’re talking to people who may need repeated biopsies, teach the term instead. Add a sentence like, “During the biopsy, a doctor will take a small sample of your liver to test it for cancer.”

Keep in mind that you can’t always use these simpler substitutions. Depending on your audience and goals, you may need to use more complex terms. That’s okay, as long as you explain them in plain language.

The bottom line: When you’re writing about cancer, avoid jargon when you can — and explain important terms in plain language when you need to.

It’s that time of year again! A time to give thanks, share gratitude, and (of course) eat a nice slice of pumpkin pie.

We’re incredibly thankful here at We ❤ Health Literacy Headquarters for you, our dear readers. So we thought we’d share some ideas to help you showcase your stellar health communication skills at the Thanksgiving table.

You know that time-honored tradition where everyone shares what they’re thankful for? And when it’s finally your turn you sit there, tongue-tied, hiding behind your fancy napkin even though there’s so much you could say?

Fear not — here’s the perfect recipe to give thanks the plain language way.

• Just a pinch. Keep it short and sweet. Grandma’s already starting to fall asleep in her mashed potatoes.
• A dash of this (not that!). Skip impressing your friends and relatives with jargon — no need to talk about your fantasy football “proficiencies” when you can say “mad skills” instead.
• A scoop of specifics. Why exactly are you thankful for [insert name or thing here]? Don’t be vague — give an example. It’ll show how thoughtful you are!

The bottom line: This Thanksgiving, don’t just give thanks for plain language — give thanks in plain language, too!

Tweet about it: This Thanksgiving, share what you’re grateful for the plain language way with @CommunicateHlth! https://bit.ly/2DPU5df

You’re sitting down to write your latest, greatest health content. You’ve got a topic and a message, and “plain language” is practically your middle name. So, are you good to go? Not quite yet — you need to know your audience, too.

You wouldn’t talk to your best friend the way you’d speak to your insurance broker or your grandmother. And of course, dear readers, the same logic applies to health content.

Take some time at the start of your project to sort out your audience. Ask yourself about their age, race and ethnicity, cultural background, and reading level (and write down your answers so you can refer to them as you write). Also think about other factors that might influence how they approach your content, like gender or health status.

Then tailor your content so it specifically speaks to your audience:

• Choose examples that are familiar to your audience. If you’re including a sample recipe in your content, be sure it has ingredients your audience already knows about.
• Make suggestions that are realistic for your audience. If you know that cost is a barrier to healthy eating, include tips for food shopping on a budget.
• Choose stock photos your audience can identify with. You may have a great picture on hand of an African American family sitting down to a turkey dinner, but if you’re trying to reach East Asian teenagers, save it for another time.

Finally, don’t forget to test a draft with members of your target audience.

The bottom line: Readers are more likely to act on your health content when it’s relatable.

It’s a very exciting week in health literacy land, dear readers! One of our all-time favorite resources has been updated to include the very latest in best practices of user-centered design, usability, and health literacy.

That’s right, the second edition of Health Literacy Online is here! This research-based guide has practical tips for creating easy-to-use health websites and digital health information tools.

Wondering how to improve user engagement? Not exactly sure what makes a helpful search function, um, helpful? No problem — Health Literacy Online has your back.

The guidance in the latest edition reflects the fact that many more people are now accessing the internet on mobile devices (you’re totally reading this on your smartphone, aren’t you?). In today’s mobile-heavy digital world, this is important stuff.

There’s also a really cool section about conducting user testing with participants with limited literacy or health literacy skills, plus valuable information about the cognitive processing and online behaviors of people with limited literacy skills.

A disclaimer here: We were involved in the development of this guide, so we’re a teensy bit biased. Regardless, we’re pretty confident that you’ll ❤ the second edition of Health Literacy Online, too.

The bottom line: Check out the latest edition of Health Literacy Online — you won’t be disappointed.

Write in the active voice, not the passive! You’ve probably heard this advice from some wise communicator types before — you know, like us. But how can you tell whether a sentence is active or passive?

“If only there were a simple test,” you think to yourself. “Ideally, one with a seasonally appropriate spooky theme.”

Well, dear readers, have we got the passive voice test for you! Just in time for Halloween, we present the Zombie Test, devised by Rebecca Johnson, PhD, from the Marine Corps University.

How does it work? Just insert “by zombies” right after the verb in your sentence. If the sentence makes sense with this undead addition, it’s passive — and you probably want to revise it. If it doesn’t make sense when you add “by zombies,” you’ve got an active sentence on your hands.

Behold the test in action.

The epidemiologists reassured by zombies the fidgeting trick-or-treaters.

That sentence doesn’t make sense with the added zombies, so it’s active. It’s already got a clear subject (the epidemiologist) who’s doing the action (reassuring), so you’re all set. But what about this?

The form needs to be processed by zombies before the prescription can be dispensed by zombies.

Who’s doing the processing and dispensing? There’s no subject! It’s passive! Run for your life!

(There are some exceptions to the rule, of course — if you’re interested, check out the replies to Dr. Johnson’s original tweet.)

The bottom line: This Halloween (and every other day, too), zombies can help make sure you use the active voice in your writing.

We’ve posted before about how writing in plain language leads to readability — and that readability measures alone can’t tell you the effectiveness of a health communication material.

But there are tools that can get you a lot closer to creating health education products that will work for your target audience. Earlier this month, we discussed the CDC Clear Communication Index. Today, we discuss another favorite: The Suitability Assessment of Materials, or the SAM. (Go to chapter 4, page 41 to get started with the SAM.)

The thing we ❤ about the SAM is that it includes factors that affect readability and factors that affect comprehension. The tool groups these factors into 6 areas:

• Content
• Literacy demand
• Graphics
• Layout and type
• Learning stimulation and motivation
• Cultural appropriateness

Swoon.

Distinct as these factors may be, they all play a role in how useful a material is, so it’s helpful to have them represented together in a single tool. Consider each of the 6 areas as the ingredients you need to combine to create a clear, useful product.

Using the SAM is pretty straightforward. Each of the 22 factors gets a score of 0, 1, or 2. At the end, you get a score that deems your material superior, adequate, or not suitable.

No surprise here, but we recommend revising your materials until they’re superior!

The bottom line: Use the SAM to help you develop better health communication products.

Infographics are all the rage lately — and it’s easy to see why. Their visual appeal makes them 30 times more likely to be read compared to text articles. Plus, information that’s presented visually is easier to understand and remember. What’s not to ❤?

Creating infographics is a great way to get your audience’s attention — but, sadly, infographics don’t always live up to their potential. So, how can you make sure your infographic hits the mark?

Here’s our (about to be less so) secret formula:

1. Keep it accurate. Start with reliable raw numbers and choose a type of visualization that makes sense for your data (none of these, please!).
2. Choose a hero statistic. Make the most impressive fact you’ve got the focal point of your infographic.
3. Tell a story. Use your hero statistic and other supporting data to construct a narrative that drives home your main message (you do have a main message, right?).
4. Design thoughtfully. Use elements like contrast, visual weight, placement, and shape to make your hero statistic “pop.”
5. Keep it simple! Keep text to a minimum, include plenty of white space, and stick to a limited color palette so you don’t overwhelm your reader.
6. Design with sharing in mind. Horizontal infographics — or those that can be broken into horizontal sections — are easier to share on social media.

Need some inspiration? Check out these most-shared infographics from 2014 to get ideas.

P.S. Don’t forget the alt text. It’ll make your content accessible to blind and visually impaired audiences and improve your search engine optimization (SEO). Bonus!

The bottom line: Good infographics aren’t just pretty pictures — they use visual data to tell a story. Use a hero statistic and simple, intentional design to make yours a winner.