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This article, available in PDF format through EBSCO, discusses the problem of "financial aliteracy." Most Americans have limited knowledge of strategies for saving and investing. This is a timely topic, given the current problems on Wall Street.

This article, available in PDF format through EBSCO, discusses the problem of "financial aliteracy." Most Americans have limited knowledge of strategies for saving and investing. This is a timely topic, given the current problems on Wall Street.

Health literacy is basic reading and numerical skills that allow a person to function in the health care environment. Even though most adults read at an eighth-grade level, and 20 percent of the population reads at or below a fifth-grade level, most health care materials are written at a 10th-grade level. Older patients are particularly affected because their reading and comprehension abilities are influenced by their cognition and their vision and hearing status. Inadequate health literacy can result in difficulty accessing health care, following instructions from a physician, and taking medication properly. Patients with inadequate health literacy are more likely to be hospitalized than patients with adequate skills. Patients understand medical information better when spoken to slowly, simple words are used, and a restricted amount of information is presented. For optimal comprehension and compliance, patient education material should be written at a sixth-grade or lower reading level, preferably including pictures and illustrations. All patients prefer reading medical information written in clear and concise language. Physicians should be alert to this problem because most patients are unwilling to admit that they have literacy problems. (Am Fam Physician 2005;72:463-8. Copyright© 2005 American Academy of Family Physicians.)

Wilder discusses how the communication problems with health professional can negatively impact the outcome of medical care for patients with low health literacy skills. Because of the way health information is presented by clinicians, patients have trouble comprehending what is said. Because patients are expected to play an active role in their own medical care and treatment, it is necessary that health information be given in ways that patients and families can understand. Low literacy gets in the way of good health care and leads to more health problems in patients. Wilder makes a good case for the importance of good communication techniques in health matters.

Weiss discusses the scope of the health literacy problem, the barriers faced by patients with low literacy, and methods to foster verbal and written communication in low literacy patients. Low literacy is pervasive in the U.S. and causes an unnecessary financial and health burden. Because of the complicated health literature, most patients have inadequate understanding of what is said, and simple strategies can alleviate low health literacy problems. Weiss makes interesting and provocative points, but much of his observations are based on his medical practice.

Wanjek discusses how low health literacy negatively affects the nation. Health complications and possible death are the most deleterious problems affecting people with low health literacy. Unnecessary spending by the health industry is another problem causing inpatient spending to increase by approximately $1000. Because of the effects of low literacy, the nation's health is compromised and the cost of healthcare thus escalates to billions of dollars annually. Wanjek makes intriguing points, but most of his information is taken from another study.

The authors discuss the serious consequences of low health literacy for individual health and the added demands it places on the health care system. Problems resulting from low literacy cause increased health complications and increased hospitalization for patients. Because of the inability for patients to understand medical instructions and directives by health professionals, many patients experience more health problems which lead to additional health care expenditures, translating to billions of dollars for the nation. The authors make important points, but much research is based on studies from a single public hospital. However, the facts presented provide valid information.

This document is a example of the problem that the community is having with the teaching of the Bible in schools today. This aricle is about a lawsuit that forced a Texas school to drop their Bible classes before of one of the settlement made in court.

Supiano explains the extreme need for financial literacy in college campuses, where students are adults, yet still have very little financial knowledge or independence. Supiano discusses that without the new initiatives for new finance classes at colleges, non-business students would graduate with very little financial literacy, but in many cases with a lot of debt. This article paints a very great picture of the situation of our college financial literacy. The article gives helpful knowledge into some examples of college literacy initiatives, and offers many possible solutions to the financial literacy problem among college students.

Kozup and Hogarth discuss the necessity of consumer warning labels on financial matters such as credit cards, mortgage, and mutual funds. They successfully make the analogy of indebtedness to obesity, and our financial state, like our health, can be helped by reading the labels on what they are consuming. The authors describe financial literacy partially as an ability to weigh the pros and cons of financial options available to them, as well as familiarity with the macroeconomic conditions of their environment. The authors also talk about third party financial intermediaries, and the role of policy in consumer saving. The authors offer a great variety of solutions to the problem of financial literacy, and the analogies make it very easy for the reader to understand and learn about the responsibility of financial literacy. Also, the rhetorical questioning involves the reader and implores them to form their own opinion.

The purpose of this paper is to describe content and methods of an academic course offered twice annually at an NCAA Division I University. With empirical support to the effectiveness of this academic approach to psychological skills training presented elsewhere (Curry & Maniar, 2003), the focus of this paper is on the type and extent of each intervention treatment during the 15-week semester course (Vealey, 1994). Course content includes applied strategies for best performance targeting, arousal/affect control, identifying purpose, goal setting, imagery, sport confidence, trust, flow, sport nutrition, on-/off-field problem solving, self-esteem, and life skills education on eating disorders and drug/alcohol abuse. Teaching methods include narrative story telling, small group activities, journal writing, cognitive-behavioral homework, brainteasers, and active learning demonstrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College students could have an enormous impact on the November election, but some may have trouble casting a ballot. Watchdog groups warn that college students are already facing problems registering to vote and could see major obstacles on election day. Includes two links to resources for young voters at the end of the article.

This article disscuses on problems faced with literacy in athletic training. It touches on the fact that in order to engage in athletic activities, they must be able by athletic training educators to ingage knowledge and skills, as well as information literacy.

Dalton discusses the long history of literacy problems in African Americans. It is believed that the need to become literate mainly started during the emancipation era when it was prohibited in many places for slaves to have the knowledge to read and write. Dalton goes on to speak about how certain African Americans were able to be literate, and went on to write exquisite literature. This article is very interesting and a decently easy read and it helps one out to understand not just the literacy of today, but the literacy in African Americans years ago.

This article from the Washington Post discusses the problem of aliteracy. Much more prevalent than illiteracy, it is also more insidious because unlike teaching someone how to read, which is fairly straightforward, how do you teach someone to LIKE to read? This article contains statistics on aliteracy in America and interesting ways in which aliteracy has changed the way our society functions.

This blog, published by Stephen Dubner, talks about financial literacy among high school students, and the problems in a dangerously low financial literacy level. He also helps diagnose financial literacy by offering a series of questions to test the reader's own financial literacy. It is a very useful article to use not only in studying the financial literacy of America, but also to diagnose yourself on your own financial literacy. The comments posted on the blog are also very informative of the reactions to the freakonomics blog.

In this article, the author analyzes academic success through the eyes of athletes, which is rarely discussed or reviewed. He notes that controversy, surrounding suspect graduation rates, poor test score requirements, tutor scandals, and more, have been a problem for several years. Focusing on certain details related to academic struggles for student athletes, the author provides information that helps relate academics and athletics from a different perspective.

Parker and Ratzan discuss what health literacy is, the importance of having health literacy skills, and the need for a strategy to address limited health literacy. The degree to which individuals are able to understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions require a health information strategy that addresses the problems of low health literacy. Low health literacy is prevalent because current health information is somewhat complex. Parker and Ratzan present a clear definition of health literacy and why a strategy is important for better communication.

This is a case report about the Mozart Effect. In the study, it dealt with a 56-year-old man who throughout his life dealt with gelastic seizures, which is laughing off random. After having many testes done on him cure this problem, the doctor decided to do a intervention. In that intervention, Mozart's music was used which enhanced his spatiotemporal reasoning.

This article discusses the relationship between the density of alcohol outlets around different colleges, alcohol consumption among students, and both personal and second hand effects. It shows that the more alcohol available, the more the consumption. Consequently, as students drink more alcohol they tend to harm themselves and others. This study provides useful information and statistics, even if it consists of a certain percent error.

This article compares binge drinking trends among college students in 1993, 1997, 1999, and 2001. It also portrays the change in the effects of alcohol consumption on drinkers and others throughout these years. This study constitutes a perfect reference, since it clearly describes all the methods followed and the results obtained. It presents extremely credible information because it relies on a large sample, and extends the study to include several years.