Project Summary/Abstract
Given the substantial impacts that limited health literacy has on health outcomes, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization, American School Health
Association, Indian Health Service, National Institute of Medicine, and the Society for Public Health Education,
among others, are calling for action to improve health literacy across all levels of the U.S. population. Native
Americans and Alaska Natives (NA/ANs), in particular, face significant challenges as co-occurring health
disparities and limited access to healthcare further compounds the problem of low health literacy, resulting in
elevated rates of poor health outcomes and lower life expectancy. Moreover, studies reveal that NA/AN
populations are amongst the highest at-risk for limited health literacy in the U.S., with only 7% demonstrating
proficiency on health literacy related tasks. These findings are concerning as limited health literacy adversely
impacts the use of preventative services, minimizes visits to healthcare facilities, increases nonadherence to
medical prescriptions, and leads to higher rates of preventable hospital visits and use of emergency services.
In this Phase I SBIR application, we propose to develop a proof-of-concept for a commercially viable
technology-based solution, HealthyU-Native, designed to improve health literacy for secondary NA/AN students.
HealthyU-Native will be a web/mobile-app based, self-paced curriculum, featuring animated instructional videos,
live-action video modeling, graphics-rich printed materials, and engaging interactive games and activities. The
initial prototype will be adapted from the successful HealthyU program and will focus on critical health literacy
skills such as accessing and using insurance, medication management, responding to medical emergencies,
and accessing health-related resources and services in the community. The program will also feature culturally
relevant content, including navigating Indian Health Services and traditional NA/AM principles, ethics, and
practices in medical care.
The prototype will be developed through an iterative design process in collaboration with NA/AN students
and key community members (i.e., elders, educators, and health providers). Following development, we will
assess program feasibility, usability, and improvements in knowledge and skill with 40 secondary NA/AN
students in preparation for a Phase II evaluation.
