Capstone Title: Assessment of a Multidisciplinary Feeding Program’s Caregiver Education Material through the Application of Health Literacy Principles

Student Concentration: Health Promotion & Behavior

Capstone Chair: Dr. Kimberley Freire

Capstone Abstract: The current capstone project examines the health literacy level of a Multidisciplinary Feeding Program’s Day Treatment Information Sheet. This material is disseminated to caregivers of autistic children after completion of the child’s feeding evaluation, which is conducted to determine eligibility for admission into the program and feeding intervention. The material includes general overview information about structure of the program, insurance coverage, success and outcomes from the intervention, and caregiver roles during admission. The current caregiver material was assessed using the CDC’s Clear Communication Index (CCI) and Patient Education Measurement Assessment Tool (PEMAT), which are health literacy tools used to measure the understandability, communication level, and actionability of caregiver health-related materials in written communication methods. After the Day Treatment Information Sheet was assessed and a score for each tool was produced, the scores were interpreted to determine how health literate the material was. The results based on the score suggest that the material has areas of needed improvement in order for it to be more health literate for families in the feeding program. There are various components of the material that can be modified to enhance communication between caregivers and providers such as the inclusion of visual aides and plain language.