Analysis of the Current Health Promotion Pamphlet Essay

Printed educational materials such as pamphlets and brochures can be discussed as effective to prevent the development of diseases and appropriate for the target population if they are written at the certain reading level, and many people can read and understand the materials easily. Diabetes is an important health problem in the United States. Thus, it is significant to analyze the appropriateness of the health promotion pamphlet to lower the risks for diabetes while focusing on the layout appeal, readability level, and content accuracy.

The pamphlet titled “6 Good Ways to Lower Your Risk of Diabetes” is developed to present the information on preventing the development of type II diabetes. Focusing on the pamphlet’s layout, it is possible to note that the pamphlet is effectively structured (6 Good Ways to Lower Your Risk of Diabetes, 2014). The text is printed in the appropriate font, and it is organized in columns and lists which can be easily read. Few colors and images are used to support the textual information, and they do not distract persons from reading the material.

The pamphlet’s content can be discussed as accurate because of being based on the evidence and research in the field of type II diabetes. The authors focus on the main factors to prevent the development of the disease which are the weight, diet, exercise, smoking, and symptoms. While providing the recommendations, the authors support their conclusions with real numbers and research findings. The factual information is explained in the text, and the use of complex charts and figures is avoided. From this point, the content reflects the basic findings in the field, and they are effectively presented in the pamphlet.

To determine the reading level of the pamphlet, it is necessary to calculate it with the help of the SMOG index. According to the SMOG tool, the discussed pamphlet is of the average readability level, and the required reading levels are correlated with the 7^th and 8^th grades (DeYoung, 2009, p. 109). The pamphlet can be easily read by teenagers and adults because the sentences are short, the used polysyllabic words are widely known, and the use of such terms as ‘glucose’ and ‘insulin’ is rare. Thus, the rate of the pamphlet’s clarity is rather high.

While focusing on the pamphlet’s usefulness to such target population as Hispanics, it is necessary to note that the material is appropriate to address the health needs of Hispanics because it clearly states that Hispanics are at risk of developing type II diabetes.

However, the pamphlet can be described as useful for the large population including different age and ethnicity groups. The material is useful because it describes not only steps to prevent the disease but also symptoms to pay attention to in order to predict the possible progress of type II diabetes. For instance, the following easy recommendations are stated in the pamphlet: “Aim for at least 30 minutes of activity on most days” (6 Good Ways to Lower Your Risk of Diabetes, 2014). The pamphlet presents the steps which can be followed by any person without references to the background and life conditions.

Referring to the ideas of cultural competence and sensitivity, it is important to note that the pamphlet is organized according to the principle of respecting all the cultures. Thus, the information is important and useful for not only Hispanics but also for the other ethnic groups because the authors refer to the general US data to support their recommendations. For instance, it is mentioned in the pamphlet that “nearly 25 million people in the U.S. have diabetes”, and that African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and other ethnicities have higher risks for the disease (6 Good Ways to Lower Your Risk of Diabetes, 2014).

The specific hints provided in the pamphlet to promote the self-care management are associated with improving the people’s daily activities. Thus, it is recommended to focus on lifestyle changes, to lose weight while following easy steps, to make the diet healthy, to become active while focusing on the regular physical activity, to quit smoking because it provokes the progress of type II diabetes, to become aware of the risk associated with age and ethnicity factors, and to consult the doctor in relation to risk assessment (6 Good Ways to Lower Your Risk of Diabetes, 2014).

Using the REALM TOOL for measuring the literacy related to the discussed pamphlet, it is possible to assess the material’s effectiveness and determine the appropriate literacy level for Hispanics as the target audience.

According to the REALM TOOL, the appropriate literacy level for Hispanics as non-native speakers is associated with the 6^th and 7^th grades (Health literacy measurement tools, 2009). Having problems with reading high-literacy pamphlets, Hispanics can experience only few difficulties while reading and understanding the discussed pamphlet because it does not contain difficult words and syntax constructions. The pamphlet is appropriate for reading by the persons with the 7^th grade reading level, and the basic recommendations can be understood by the persons with the 6^th grade reading level.

Having analyzed the pamphlet titled “6 Good Ways to Lower Your Risk of Diabetes”, it is possible to note that the material is appropriate to be distributed among Hispanics and the expanded population because of the availability and usefulness of the material to the large audience.

References

6 Good Ways to Lower Your Risk of Diabetes. (2014). Web.

DeYoung, S. (2009). Teaching strategies for nurse educators. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Health literacy measurement tools. (2009). Web.