Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-17-2022

Publication Title

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Volume

19

Issue

22

Pages

1-13

Publisher Name

MDPI

Abstract

Medical research literacy (MRL) is a facet of health literacy that measures a person’s understanding of informed consent and other aspects of participation in medical research. While existing research on MRL is limited, there are reasons to believe MRL may be associated with a willingness to participate in medical research. We use data from a racially balanced sample of survey respondents (n = 410): (1) to analyze how MRL scores vary by respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics; (2) to examine how MRL relates to respondents’ expressed likelihood to participate in a clinical trial; and (3) to provide considerations on the measurement of MRL. The results indicate no differences in MRL scores by race or gender; younger (p < 0.05) and more educated (p < 0.001) individuals have significantly higher MRL scores. Further, higher MRL scores are associated with significantly lower levels of expressed likelihood to participate in a clinical trial. Additionally, the MRL scale included both true and false statements, and analyses demonstrate significant differences in how these relate to outcomes. Altogether, the results signal that further research is needed to understand MRL and how it relates to socio-demographic characteristics associated with research participation and can be measured effectively.

Comments

Author Posting © The Author(s), 2022. This article is posted here by permission of MDPI for personal use and redistribution. This article was published open access in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, VOL.19, ISS. 22, pp.1-13, (November 17,2022), https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215168

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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