ILLITERACY - A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO POISONING

It is estimated that over 60 million Americans (1/3 of the adult popul ation) are functionally or marginally illiterate. To recognize and gai n an understanding of illiteracy and its impact on poisoning, we deter mined if the illiterate in our community could recognize potential poi sons. A prospective study involving 29 male and 21 female adult illite rates was undertaken. A personal interview was conducted to determine their ability to purchase medication and household products, their und erstanding of the uses and associated dangers of medications, and thei r manner of storage of these products in their homes. Of the participa nts, 66% were at reading levels of 0-3rd grade and 34% were at 3rd thr ough 6th grade reading level. Each participant was shown 3 separate pr oducts and asked to distinguish and interpret caution statements and d irections. In the 0-3rd grade group, 30% were unable to identify any o f the products and none could explain the cautions or directions. In t he second group (3rd-6th grade), all were able to identify the product s and 76% could explain the cautions; everyone in this group correctly read the directions, We concluded that a large percentage of the adul t population are potential poisoning victims due to their inability to read and comprehend label instructions. Poison Centers should recogni ze illiteracy as a contributing factor in poisonings and consider educ ation and prevention programs for this segment of our population.