Abstract
Background: Low health literacy has been found to affect people’s ability to take care of their
own health and follow the principles of disease prevention. Incomprehension of health
education and healthcare instructions may lead to poor health outcomes.
Aim: The aim of the study was to describe and compare a sample of primary healthcare
patient’s ability to recognise and pronounce health-related words in English and in his or her
native language.
Setting: The study was conducted in 12 primary healthcare (PHC) clinics in Gauteng,
South Africa.
Methods: A prospective, quantitative, comparative research design using a survey method
was used to assess the ability to recognise and pronounce health-related words of 401
respondents using the REALM-R (SA) tool.
Results: Most respondents were 18–29 years (32%) and 30–49 years (53%) old. More than half
(54%) of the respondents have completed grade 12 schooling. Adequate English health-related
word recognition and pronunciation levels were at 19.5%, while native health-related word
recognition and pronunciation levels were far better, ranging between 55.6% and 97.0%.
Conclusion: Respondents showed better word recognition and pronunciation of the healthrelated
words in their native language than in English. Providing health information in the
patient’s native language and on their level of understanding may therefore improve patient
health outcomes.
Contribution: The study is the first of its kind to determine word recognition and pronunciation
of health-related words in English and a native language of South African PHC patients.
Knowing this may assist healthcare professionals to give health education and instructions on
the patient’s level of understanding.