Health literacy affects everyone, and it is important for everyone because, at some point in our lives, we all need to be able to find, understand, and use health information and services.
Key Principles:
- Even people who read well and are comfortable using numbers can face health literacy issues when:
- They aren’t familiar with medical terms or how their bodies work.
- They have to interpret statistics and evaluate risks and benefits of interventions that can affect their health and safety.
- They are diagnosed with a serious illness and are scared and confused.
- They have health conditions that require complicated self-care.
Included in this section:
Reference
- 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Understanding Health Literacy. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/learn/Understanding.html.