Health literacy
[9] The proportion of adults aged 18 and over in the U.S., in the year 2010, who reported that their health care providers always explained things so they could understand them was about 60.6%.
Several proposals address the fact that "health literacy is multidimensional",[13] being the result of a concerted effort that involves the individual seeking care or information, providers and caregivers, the complexity and demands of the system, and the use of plain language for communication.
[22] Plain language refers to the use of writing strategies that help readers find, understand, and apply information to fulfill their needs.
In conjunction with readers education, provider cultural training, and system design, plain language helps people make more informed health choices.
"[25] Some key elements of plain language include:[26] The National Institute of Health (NIH) recommends that patient education materials be written at a 6th–7th grade reading level; further recommendations provided by the NIH Office of Communications and Public Liaison are published in their "Clear Communication" Initiative.
[30] The Short Assessment of Health Literacy in Spanish and English populations (SAHL-S&E) uses word recognition and multiple choice questions to test a person's comprehension.
[30] Standardized measures of health literacy are the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), which asks people about a nutrition label,[31] and the Test of Functional Health Literacy (TOFHLA), which asks test-takers to fill in 36 blanks in patient instructions for X-rays and a Medicaid application, from multiple choices, and 4 numbers in medicine dosage forms.
However, it is disproportionate in certain demographic groups, such as the elderly, ethnic minorities, recent immigrants,[38] individuals facing homelessness,[39] and persons with low general literacy.
[56] Individuals facing homelessness constitute a population that holds intersectional identities, is highly mobile, and is often out of the public eye.
[57] Thus the difficulty of conducting research on this group has resulted in little information regarding homelessness as a condition that has increased risk of low health literacy levels among individuals.
[56] Additionally, the IROHLA (Intervention Research on Health Literacy of the Ageing population) project, funded by the European Union (EU), seeks to develop evidence-based guidelines for policy and practice to improve health literacy of the ageing population in EU member states.
[59] The project has developed a framework and identified and validated interventions which together constitute a comprehensive approach of addressing health literacy needs of the elderly.
Low health literacy is associated with poorer knowledge of diabetes and leads to a lower quality self-management of the condition.
[64] It has also been suggested that the move towards patient-centered care and the greater use of technology for self-care and self-management requires higher health literacy on the part of the patient.
[67] One of the goals of the National Action Plan is to incorporate health and science information in childcare and education through the university level.
The target is to educate people at an early stage; that way individuals are raised with health literacy and will have a better quality of life.
[citation needed] Programs such as Head Start[68] and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)[69] have impacted society, especially the low-income population.
Head Start provides low-income children and their families early childhood education, nutrition, and health screenings.
WIC serves low-income pregnant women and new mothers by supplying them with food, health care referrals, and nutrition education.
Although programs like Head Start and WIC have been working with the health literacy of a specific population, much more can be done with the education of children and young adults.
These classes are an opportunity to facilitate and develop health literacy in today's children and adolescents by teaching skills of how to read food labels, the meaning of common medical terms, the structure of the human body, and education on the most prevalent diseases in the United States.
"Based on this clinical definition, health literacy gives individuals the skills that they need to both understand and effectively communicate information and concerns.
As interactions with healthcare systems often first occur at the family level, deeply rooted beliefs and values can shape the experience.
Components that reflect the development of health literacy both culturally and societally are native language, socioeconomic status, gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as mass media exposure.
Tools for educational development provided by these systems impact an individual's capacity to obtain specific knowledge regarding health.
When a health literacy program is put into place where only the negative side effects of smoking are told to the general public it is doomed to fail.
[79] The importance of dignity and respect is emphasized when creating programs for increasing health literacy of vulnerable individuals.
Libraries also function as trusted social spaces where people can discuss and inquire about information related to health.
[82] Library outreach often addresses underrepresented or vulnerable groups who have a higher risk of certain diseases and a lower general level of health literacy.
A range of approaches to adult education brings health literacy skills to people in traditional classroom settings, as well as where they work and live.
