Let's Talk About the Flu

Wisconsin Health Literacy has completed the third year in a series of workshops designed for adults with limited literacy. Workshops were conducted in trusted locations where the target population regularly gathers to study, work, and socialize, such as adult literacy agencies, neighborhood centers, social service agencies, senior centers and homeless shelters.

A total of 2,516 participated in 125 workshops, conducted in 2010, 2011, and 2013.  Some of the results were:

• 33% of participants were Latino/Hispanic, 30% Caucasian, 18% African American and 19% other ethnicity.
• 55% of participants got flu shots (compared to 36% of U.S. adults and 32% of Wisconsin adults normally receiving the shots)
• Awareness of flu symptoms, treatment, and reasons to get a shot increased from 53.3% to 82.5% (pre- to post-test)
• The most common reason given for not getting a flu shot was “I am healthy, never had the flu.”

These programs were funded by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation in 2011 and 2013.  In 2010, the program was made possible by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services through a grant from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention.

WHL hopes to identify funding opportunities to continue Let’s Talk about the Flu programs in the future.

* The above video was produced in conjunction with the 2011 series of workshops.

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