Let’s Talk
Health literacy plays a critical role in shaping health behaviors and outcomes, yet nearly half of adults in the United States are estimated to have limited functional health literacy. Low health literacy disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minority populations, contributing to health disparities. Let’s Talk was a pilot project designed to test the feasibility and sustainability of a community-based health literacy curriculum focused on improving health knowledge and promoting healthy behaviors on topics identified directly by the community.
The project consisted of a series of educational sessions led by registered nurses who were graduate students in the Winona State University Nursing Program. These nurses worked with members of African American, Cambodian, Hispanic, Somali, and Sudanese communities to address health-care system navigation, disease prevention, health promotion, and chronic disease management. Nurses partnered closely with community leaders or liaisons to tailor the curriculum to each group’s needs, with sessions held in accessible, trusted settings such as schools, community centers, homes, apartment common rooms, and religious gathering places throughout Rochester. Session structure and frequency varied by community—for example, sessions were integrated into Cambodian Cultural School programming, held after church services for Sudanese and African American families, conducted with elderly Somali residents in their apartment buildings, and hosted in Hispanic families’ homes. Many sessions were based on Staying Healthy from the Florida Literacy Coalition, Inc., which was adapted to include Minnesota-specific health resources and expanded to address topics prioritized by Rochester community members.
Staying Healthy Guide
Funding
Winona State University Foundation
Mayo Clinic: Center for Clinical and Translational Science