In the landscape of public health, adult literacy rates have a profound impact on individual and community well-being.
Understanding the Literacy and Health Literacy Link
Health literacy is a specific subset of literacy that focuses on the ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make informed health decisions. It includes skills such as interpreting prescription instructions, understanding health insurance, and following medical advice.
With around 54% of American adults reading below a sixth-grade level, the issue of health literacy is compounded with masses of individuals struggling to comprehend medical information, leading to poorer health outcomes that are linked to:
Increased hospitalization rates: Emergency departments often become the primary care access point for individuals with low health literacy skills, leading to overcrowding and overburdened resources. These individuals are also more likely to return to the ED within two weeks.
Poor management of chronic conditions: Patients may misunderstand their treatment regimens, leading to complications in managing conditions like diabetes or hypertension. Providers must spend additional time ensuring that patients understand their conditions and treatment plans, which can detract from the time spent on other patients.
Inadequate preventive care: Low health literacy often leads to missed screenings, vaccinations, and other preventive measures, ultimately increasing the incidence of health setbacks.
Higher costs: Increased hospitalizations and higher likelihood of chronic conditions create a major strain on our economic well-being. It is estimated between $106–$238 billion in health care costs a year are linked to low adult literacy skills.
A Healthy Dose of Literacy
Investing in adult literacy programs has far-reaching benefits that can reduce health care burdens and create a more efficient health care system.
Building a more literate population ensures that individuals have the skills to ask more questions, engage with their providers, follow treatment plans, and make better decisions. Improved literacy would decrease the prevalence of chronic conditions, which would significantly reduce overall health care spending.
To tackle the dual challenges of low adult literacy and health literacy, a multi-faceted approach is necessary. Here are some ideas:
- Create culturally appropriate health information in plain language and share throughout neighborhoods, focusing on areas with more adults who read at low levels.
- Incorporate lessons in adult education programs that teach literacy or English language skills in the context of health literacy topics. Our Understanding Health and Wellness student course does just this. We also have multiple supplemental ESL series from New Readers Press that teach English language learners about the health care system in the US and health vocabulary.
- Advocate for policies that prioritize funding for adult education and health literacy programs to create a foundation for sustainable change in community health.
Increasing adult literacy rates is crucial to improving our public health outcomes. Prioritizing and investing in literacy initiatives is a vital component of achieving better health for all.