Health Literacy Resources

What is health literacy?

Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2010.

Why is health literacy important?

According to the Institute of Medicine, about one-half of the adult population has difficulty understanding and using health information.  Low literacy has been linked to poor health outcomes such as higher rates of hospitalization and less frequent use of preventive services.

Want to learn more?

• National Institute of Health:
  www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/improvinghealthliteracy.htm
• Health Resources and Services Administration:
  www.hrsa.gov/healthliteracy
• U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion:
  www.health.gov/communication/literacy/default.htm
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality:
  www.ahrq.gov/browse/hlitix.htm
• Plain Language:
  www.plainlanguage.gov/populartopics/health_literacy/index.cfm
• American Medical Association:
  www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/8115.html
• Institute of Medicine:
  www.iom.edu/?id=31489