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

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.

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