Literacy Skills and the Health Status of U.S. Adults: A Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies Data Explorer Interactive Presentation

• In Event: A Fresh Look at Adult Skills in the United States and Around the World: Key Findings From the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies 2012 and Their Implications

Abstract

This presentation will exhibit the capabilities of the PIAAC Data Explorer (PDX) through an interactive demonstration that provides information on the health status and preventative health practices of U.S. adults and how these relate to literacy skills. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of the various features of the PIAAC Data Explorer and how they can be used to analyze data from the PIAAC direct assessment and PIAAC background questionnaire.

The PIAAC Data Explorer is a free, publicly-available data tool designed for simple to complex data analysis of the PIAAC 2012 data. It is an online tool that offers a point-and-click method of obtaining custom results from PIAAC 2012 without any advanced statistical knowledge. The PDX can produce statistical means and percentages, percentile scores, and proficiency levels of the overall population as well as sub-groups within or between countries defined by contextual data from the background questionnaire. The tool also has the capability to conduct statistical significant testing and allows users to recode variables from the background questionnaire.

This interactive demonstration will show participants how to create statistical tables, charts, and maps using literacy and numeracy data from the PIAAC direct assessment and specific health-related variables from the background questionnaire. Participants will be walked through how to select variables, customize tables and graphs, and export results in the data tool. They will also be shown how to use some of the more advanced features of the tool, such as the ability to recode variables and produce color maps of significance tests across jurisdictions.

In addition to learning about the features of the PIAAC Data Explorer, participants will also learn about the relationship between literacy and numeracy skills, health status, and the use of preventative health measures. The U.S. PIAAC background questionnaire contains a number of questions about health status, preventative health practices, and sources of health-related information.

This presentation is of interest to anyone who wants to work with the PIAAC 2012 data and would like a point-and-click method of accessing the results. It is useful for researchers who are interested in doing either a quick, simple analysis or a more complex one. It is especially relevant to policy makers, resource developers, and young scholars who are interested the relationship between literacy and health and want to explore the PIAAC 2012 health-related data.

Author

• Tim Werwath, American Institutes for Research