Health Literacy Flashcards
Health literacy impacts ___ in ___ people living in the US and the average reading skills of adults are between ___ and ____ grade levels.
1 in 3
8th and 9th
What is health literacy?
the ability to make sound health decisions in the context of everyday life
competencies to obtain, read, understand, evaluate, and use health information
ability to communicate effectively
informed decisions
function in the healthcare environment
What contributes to health literacy?
communication skills of lay people and professionals
knowledge of lay people and professionals of health topics
culture
demands of the healthcare and public health system
demands of the situation/context
Why is health literacy an iterative process?
consists of a dynamic group of productive and generative skills a person calls upon when facing new situations
What does health literacy allow for health literate people to do?
make informed decisions
benefit from healthier choices
have degrees of independence from experts and knowledge intermediaries
List examples of areas where health literacy is relevant.
patient-physician communication
drug labeling, medical instructions, and medical compliance
health information publications and other resources
informed consent
responding to medical and insurance forms
giving patient history
public health training
Who is at risk for low health literacy?
ANYONE
ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected
majority of people with low literacy skills in the US are white, native-born Americans
older patients, recent immigrants, people with chronic diseases, and those with low socioeconomic status are especially vulnerable
What are the four types of health literacy?
fundamental (ability to read and write, numeracy)
scientific (understanding of science, biology, uncertainty)
civil (understanding of the broader workings of systems and society)
cultural (understanding beliefs, customs, etc. of diverse populations)
What other kinds of literacy are there?
media (ability to understand nature of mass media; access, analyze, evaluate health communication in a variety of forms)
computer (access internet, technology, and skills to know how to use it; ability to find and understand health information from electronic sources)
prose (search, comprehend, and use continuous texts; news, brochures, instructions)
document (non continuous texts; job applications, maps, tables, drug and food labels)
quantitative (identify and perform computations using numbers embedded in printed materials; computing a tip, completing an order form, balancing a checkbook)
What are “frames” in the context of health literacy?
used with narratives to process information
done quickly and automatically based on our skills and abilities
(eg. the health educator may “frame” disease as a knowable enemy, one that can be defeated; the patient’s frame for disease is that it is fated and part of growing older/it is inevitable)
