Health Literacy

1. Dr. Obumneke Amadi: Health Literacy
The Difference between Literacy and Health Literacy
Literacy is simply the capacity of an individual to read, write, speak, and calculate and
solve problems at levels which are essential to take on daily activities, in addition it guides
someone to develop knowledge and potential used to achieve their goals, whereas, health literacy
is the wide range of skills which individuals have in their ability to obtain, process, and
understand basic health information and services needed to make informed health decisions,
reduce health risks, and increase quality of life (Parker & Thorson, 2009, p.305). Health literacy
skills are used by professionals and individuals to have knowledge of health topics, culture,
healthcare demands and health systems. The communication skill of Health literacy is dependent
on individual and systemic factors because it affects people's ability to use the healthcare system
such as filling out difficult forms, locating providers & services, sharing personal information,
disease management, understand risk and Engage in self-care (U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, 2014; Laureate Education, 2011).
The motivation and ability of individuals to access and use information in behaviors
which promote and maintain good health are gained through the cognitive and social skills which
are characteristic of health literacy, health literacy is not just a common sense for example if an
individual have developed cancer, the individual needs to understand the mechanism of how a
disease occurs, its risks and treatment, so as to help him or her make an informed decision that
would support his health. Individuals who have limited health literacy usually lack basic
knowledge or have misinformation about the body, disease, health behavior and health &
wellness, however without health knowledge, they may be confused about relationship between
health behavior and health outcomes e.g. diet and exercise Health literacy (U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, 2014).
Health-Related Consequence to Low Health Literacy
Low health literacy can have several and serious related health consequences, because
individuals and patients who are not capable to understand their health guidelines can have poor
adherence to treatment such that (1)Low health literacy can make it difficult for a patient to use
healthcare system, leading to missed doctors’ visits or delayed entry into care,(2) Patients with

2. low health literacy do not have the ability understanding of their disease or treatment plan, which
obstructs their ability to give informed consent or take action, and (3) individuals without proper
health literacy skills often have poorer health status than those who can effectively use health
information. Moreover, it is evident that health literacy is a stronger analyst of health status than
literacy, because individuals with low health literacy levels responds lower to their health
conditions and treatments than individuals with higher health literacy levels (Farrisi, 2011).
One Population at Risk for Potential Health Problems Due To Low Health Literacy Levels
Insufficient health literacy excessively affects older adults. This is linked to the
difficulties associated with cognition and sensory changes that is attached with aging thereby
causing challenges with understanding of health information and managing chronic disease.
Health literacy issues connected with older people include: having difficulty in using print
materials and documents such as forms or charts; they struggle to interpret numbers and perform
calculations e.g. older adults are not capable to understand the information given to them about
their prescription medicines (nnlm.gov, 2013).
In summary, low health literacy can create significant advancement to effective care and
treatment for any health condition and should be made easy to understand and easy to perform on
for all the diverse people in the population, by age, culture and others. Finally, it is important
that individuals understand or acquire health literacy so they can achieve a positive health
outcome.
Reference
Daniele Farrisi (2011). Low health literacy predicts poor adherence. Retrieved form
http://www.deltaaetc.org/hcarticles/articles%20as%20pdf/summer%202011%20articles%
20as%20pdf/health%20literacy%20and%20adherence.pdf
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Health literacy. Baltimore, MD: Author.
nnlm.gov (2013).Health Literacy. Retrieved form
http://nnlm.gov/outreach/consumer/hlthlit.html
Parker, J. C., & Thorson, E. (Eds.). (2009). Health communication in the new media landscape.

3. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2014). Quick Guide to Health Literacy: Health
Literacy Basics. Retrieved form
http://www.health.gov/communication/literacy/quickguide/factsbasic.htm