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The objective was to describe the health literacy of a sample of Canadian men with prostate cancer and explore whether sociodemographic and health factors were related to men's health literacy scores. A sample of 213 Canadian men ( M age = 68.71 years, SD = 7.44) diagnosed with prostate cancer were recruited from an online prostate cancer support website. The men completed the Health Literacy Questionnaire along with demographic, comorbidity, and prostate cancer treatment-related questions online. Of the 5-point scales, men's health literacy scores were highest for "Understanding health information enough to know what to do" ( M = 4.04, SD = 0.48) and lowest for "Navigating the health care system" ( M = 3.80, SD = 0.58). Of the 4-point scales, men's scores were highest for "Feeling understood and supported by health care professionals" ( M = 3.20, SD = 0.52) and lowest for "Having sufficient information to manage my health" ( M = 2.97, SD = 0.46). Regression analyses indicated that level of education was positively associated with health literacy scores, and men without comorbidities had higher health literacy scores. Age and years since diagnosis were unrelated to health literacy. Support in health system navigation and self-management of health may be important targets for intervention.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the impact of a Stop Smoking Before Surgery (SSBS) program in a health authority where responsibility for surgical services is shared by health professionals in regional centers and outlying communities., Methods: A between-subjects, pre-post mixed method program evaluation was conducted. Elective surgery patients at 2 Northern Canadian hospitals were recruited and surveyed at 2 time points: pre-SSBS implementation (n = 150) and 1 year post-SSBS implementation (n = 90). In addition, semistructured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of participants (n = 18)., Results: Participants who received information about stopping smoking before surgery post-SSBS implementation were more likely than expected to have reduced their smoking, χ(2)(1, 89) = 10.62, P = .001, and had a significantly higher Awareness of Smoking-Related Perioperative Complications score than those that were advised to quit smoking prior to SSBS implementation (U = 1288.0, P < .001). Being advised by a health care professional was the second strongest predictor of whether or not participants reduced their smoking before surgery post-SSBS implementation. However, there was no significant change in the number of participants who reported being advised to quit smoking before surgery between groups., Conclusion: Providing surgery-specific resources to increase awareness of and support for surgery-specific smoking cessation had limited success in this rural context. Additional strategies are needed to ensure that every surgical patient who smokes receives information about the benefits of quitting for surgery and is aware of available cessation resources., (© The Author(s) 2015.)