This looks interesting, but I certainly can't afford to pay to do it:
Measuring the level of health literacy in the UK and mapping its distribution geographically
Supervisors: Dr Joanne Protheroe and Professor Gill Rowlands
The National Primary Care Research & Development Centre invites applications for the following three-year PhD project. Applicants must have self-arranged funding as there is no financial support tied to the project. The anticipated composite tuition fee for this project is £3, 300p.a for UK/EU candidates.
The purpose of this study is to examine the current measures of Health Literacy available in the US and to develop a corresponding measure in England. This will then be used to examine distribution of Health Literacy in England.
Health literacy is ‘the capacity of an individual to obtain, interpret and understand basic health information and services in ways that are health enhancing’. Much of the research in health literacy has been conducted in the US and Canada. There is limited research on health literacy in the UK.
The initial objective of this project would be to develop a measure of health literacy which could then be retrospectively applied to a 2003 dataset of education, literacy and numeracy skills in England in a secondary analysis. This would then allow geographical mapping of levels of health literacy and comparisons could be made with deprivation scores, health outcomes and other geographically available data. This would result in important policy-relevant data to allow the development and prioritising of interventions designed to improve health literacy.
The successful applicant will be sited within the Self-Management Research Theme of the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre (NPCRDC). This is one of the four central research themes within the Centre. The proposed PhD would provide an excellent grounding for a future career in health services research.
Applications are welcomed from candidates holding, or expecting to obtain, a first or upper second-class honours degree in health sciences or a related subject. A Masters in an associated area and good grounding in quantitative research skills are desirable.
Formal applications should be submitted in the form of a CV and covering letter outlining suitability for the study to the School of Community Based Medicine Postgraduate Research Director Dr Peter Bower (peter.bower@manchester.ac.uk).
Contact details for two academic or professional referees should also be provided.
Deadline: There is no closing date for applications but as this project is due to commence ahead of October 2009 early expression of interest is advised. For further information on the project please contact Dr Joanne Protheroe at joanne.protheroe@manchester.ac.uk or
NPCRDC website
