| Variables | |
| Age, mean years (SD) | 45 (14) |
| Race | |
| African American | 303 (50.8) |
| White | 255 (42.8) |
| Other | 38 (6.4) |
| Sex | |
| Female | 392 (65.3) |
| Male | 208 (34.7) |
| Education | |
| 8th through 12th grade | 128 (21.4) |
| High school graduate | 167 (27.9) |
| Some college education | 303 (50.7) |
| Household income (US$) | |
| 0–9,999 | 204 (35.7) |
| 10,000–19,999 | 92 (16.1) |
| 20,000–29,999 | 74 (13.0) |
| 30,000–39,999 | 53 (9.3) |
| 40,000–49,999 | 51 (8.9) |
| >50,000 | 97 (17.0) |
| Health insurance | |
| Private | 279 (47.0) |
| Medicare | 493 (8.2) |
| Medicaid | 110 (18.5) |
| Self-pay (no insurance) | 112 (18.9) |
| Multiple | 44 (7.4) |
| S-TOFHLA total score | |
| Inadequate | 15 (2.5) |
| Marginal | 5 (0.8) |
| Adequate | 579 (96.7) |
| How often do you have problems learning about your medical condition because of difficulty understanding written information? | |
| Never | 186 (31.2) |
| Rarely | 226 (37.9) |
| Sometimes | 152 (25.5) |
| Often | 22 (3.7) |
| Always | 10 (1.7) |
| How confidents are you filling out medical forms by yourself? | |
| Extremely | 239 (40.0) |
| Quite a bit | 196 (32.8) |
| Somewhat | 103 (17.3) |
| A little bit | 35 (5.9) |
| Not at all | 24 (4.0) |
| How often do you have someone help you read instructions, pamphlets, or other written materials from your doctor or pharmacy? | |
| Never | 344 (57.8) |
| Rarely | 152 (25.5) |
| Sometimes | 77 (12.9) |
| Often | 18 (3.0) |
| Always | 4 (0.7) |
Data are n (%) unless otherwise indicated. Totals may not add to 599 due to missing data.
SD, standard deviation.