Health literacy in cardiac secondary prevention

Following a heart attack, medical guidelines recommend that people make many lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, cardiac medications, and stopping smoking. However, for some people these changes are difficult to maintain in the longer term, and this puts them at greater risk of further heart attack. Some groups find it harder than others to make these changes, including culturally diverse people, people living in rural areas, and/or with socioeconomic disadvantage. One factor that may affect this is health literacy. Many studies show that people with lower health literacy also have poorer health outcomes, yet this is relatively unexplored among people with heart disease. The Optimising Engagement in Cardiac Secondary Prevention: A health literacy approach (ENHEARTEN) study is a prospective cohort study of patients with myocardial infarction (MI) to explore the relationship between health literacy and hospital readmissions, including exploration of the pathways that underpin this relationship. This project presents a range of opportunities to explore these relationships and the impact of health literacy on clinical outcomes. The research team are based at the School of Rural Health in Warragul and also at the Victorian Heart Institute, Clayton campus. There is no requirement for students to travel to Warragul.