How Can You Improve Health Literacy?

Over the past few years health literacy has come to the forefront, or ate least I have been talking a lot about it in all the classes I have been taking.  Health literacy and literacy literacy are not the same.  In the US, the average reading level of adults is about the 5th or 6th grade (I was once told by a teacher that the NY Times is written at an 8 grade level); unfortunately there is no equivalent for health literacy.

To be honest I had not thought much about health literacy until I went to graduate school.  During one of my classes, we watched a video where several average patients were interviewed.  In one of the clips, a man was being interviewed about his hypertension.  When the clinician asked if he knew why he was on anti-hypertension medication he responded by saying that the medication made him less hyper.  This sent up A HUGE RED FLAG for a lot of people in our class.

Why is health literacy important?

• Nearly 9 out of 10 adults have difficulty using the everyday health information that is routinely available in health care facilities, retail outlets, media, and communities.^1,2,3 
• Limited health literacy is associated with poorer health outcomes and higher health care costs.⁴

As more people are starting to access the health care system, it will be important to make sure that communication strategies are culturally relevant and explained in such a way that the patient will be able to understand their medical condition, prevention techniques and how to properly take their medications.  Similarly, people may have trouble filling out forms and health histories which could impact the care they receive.

Are you a health professional who is interested in learning more?  Check out Effective Communication Tools for Healthcare Professionals

Also the CDC has a great site which provides information and tools to improve health literacy and public health.