HEALTH LITERACY
hEAlth lItERAcY IN PRActIcE B
allybeen Women’s centre has been delivering community services for over twenty five
years. Earlier this year, a Building community Pharmacy Partnership (BcPP) project, run in conjunction with local Boots pharmacist, Jayne Johnston, aimed to promote health and health awareness among women – young and old – while trying to identify their educational and training needs in relation to health and social issues.
the project ran over six months and covered issues including mental health, minor ailments, smoking cessation and diet and physical activity. links were also made with Action cancer and Aware defeat depression.
While health literacy was not specifically mentioned per se, the programme supported positive health literacy outcomes, addressing the needs of local women to help improve quality of life and address issues that affect everyday life, such as mental health, minor ailments, smoking cessation and diet and physical activity.
BAcKgRoUNd Ballybeen is the second largest housing estate in Northern Ireland, with a population exceeding 8500 and covering three electoral wards – Enler, carrowreagh and grahamsbridge. the noble figures for Enler in themselves reflect the significant nature of problems experienced in Ballybeen: Enler ranks 123 out of 566 in Northern Ireland terms and is within the fifteen per cent of worst wards in relation to the health, education and child poverty domains.
there is no statutory provision for women in the area and, indeed, Ballybeen Women’s centre is the only community development project aimed at addressing the educational, health and social support needs of women in the area.
BcPP PRoJEct In terms of this BcPP project, the pharmacist worked with two core groups of women over six months and discussed issues identified by them. this involved interactive
information sessions and one to ones with the pharmacist, Jayne Kennedy.
‘Prior to this Ballybeen Women’s centre project, I had actually run another project a couple of years ago,’ Jayne told Pif. ‘my format for the first one was very much based on Powerpoint presentations and visual aids. While those present enjoyed the presentations, I felt very much that I was talking at them, rather than engaging them in conversation. I knew that, with this group, I really wanted to get them to talk and engage in the process. It was vital therefore that I employed a format that encouraged discussion and participation.’
needed to help improve their quality of life.
‘As pharmacists, we’re well aware of the stigma that’s attached to any mental health issues, so I knew that it would be vital for me to get these women to speak openly. While there was initial reticence about discussing certain subjects, as the project developed – and the women felt more comfortable with myself and with each other - they definitely opened up and began to talk in earnest about how they felt.
‘I stressed repeatedly about how if they had specific worries at any time, that I was available in the pharmacy
PRogRAmmE thE WomEN hAd Not oNlY BUIlt UP AWARENESS ARoUNd ISSUES SUch AS thE mENoPAUSE ANd
lEARNt NEW SKIllS ANd – PERhAPS moSt
ImPoRtANtlY - mAdE NEW fRIENdS”
to facilitate this conversation, Jayne delivered the sessions in an interactive way and used quizzes as a learning tool to help get the conversation flowing.
‘the interactive format definitely worked,’ Jayne continued. ‘As with any area in which there is a degree of social deprivation, mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression can be prevalent. I was therefore concerned that the women would be reticent about discussing such problems – if, indeed, they were affected by them.
‘health literacy was not discussed as such, but it was definitely the driving force behind this project, as it was vital to get them to talk and engage so that we could address what they
and could speak to them on a one-to-one basis. It had became very obvious to me very quickly that the women were unaware of the services that were available from both the pharmacy and from local health events in the community centre, so this initiative proved extremely valuable in terms of raising awareness.
‘By the end of the programme the women had not only built up awareness around issues such as depression and women’s health, but had learnt new skills and – perhaps most importantly - made new friends.
‘We’ve definitely noticed an increase in the number of participants who are routinely calling in to ask for advice, so it’s clear that the project
dEPRESSIoN, BUt hAd “BY thE ENd of thE
hEAlth lItERAcY focUSEd tRAININg PRogRAmmE AvAIlABlE
In 2015, the partners of the Intervention Research on health literacy of the Ageing Population in Europe (IRohlA) consortium developed and piloted the health literacy focused communication training intervention among health professionals in Ireland, the Netherlands and Italy. health professionals across multiple disciplines indicated that the training raised their awareness of health literacy, and increased their knowledge and communication skills to lessen health literacy related problems.
In January 2017, this health literacy communication training intervention will be provided in Belfast in two workshops totalling ten hours, including three hours of self-directed study.
the inclusion criteria for the training intervention are:
• qualified health professionals providing care or treatment to patients and clients
• non-NhS staff from multiple disciplines working in community health care settings – as further ethical approval would be needed for NhS staff participation
• good understanding of English
the first programme will be delivered in January 2017. to register your interest or for more information contact
anne@belfasthealthycities.com.
further information and resources on health literacy is available at
http://www.belfasthealthycities.co m/health-literacy
helped to raise awareness of services in the area where they can seek help, such as the pharmacy and other local support organisations/agencies.
‘An evaluation of the BcPP in Ballybeen has reported 75 per cent of women involved in the project now feel they have things in common with other people and have made healthy changes to how they live, so it’s been a very worthwhile project.’ •
PhARmAcY IN focUS - 23
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