Western
Illinois AHEC provides healthy literacy
information and programs to providers
and health professionals in Illinois.
Health
literacy- the ability to read and
understand basic medical instructions
and information- is a stronger predictor
of an individual’s health status
than age, income, literacy skills,
employment status, education level
or racial group. Different from “literacy”-
the ability to read and write- health
literacy affects people from a wide
variety of backgrounds including well
educated competent readers.
Barriers
to understanding health information
include:
- Lack of familiarity
with medical terms and systems
- Illness and/or
medications
- Stress and fear
- Increased demands
for self-care
- Less time with
provid
In
addition, many Americans have limited
literacy skills. A 1992 National Adult
Literacy Survey found that almost
50% of the U.S. population reads at
an 8 th grade level or below. Vulnerable
populations within this low literacy
group include the elderly, minorities,
poor, immigrant populations and those
with chronic mental and/or physical
health conditions.
The
consequences of low health literacy
can be seen from both an economic
and health side. It is estimated that
health care expenditures as a result
of low health literacy are $73 billion
dollars a year.
Health
consequences of low health literacy:
- Less likely to
comply with prescribed treatment
and self-care regimens
- More medication
or treatment errors
- Fail to seek preventative
care
- Limited effectiveness
of treatment
Economic
consequences of low health literacy
- Average 6% more
hospital visits
- Stayed in the hospital
nearly 2 days longer than adults
with higher literacy skills
- Average health
care costs 4 times higher than those
with higher health literacy
Additional
implications of low health literacy
include higher patient dissatisfaction
and higher provider frustration.
For
more information contact Western IL
AHEC at 217-223-0452.
Sources: Williams MV,Parker RM, Baker DW, et al. Inadequate Functional Health Literacy Among Patients at Two Public Hospitals, JAMA 1995, December 6, 274(21):1, 677-82; Eradicating Low Health Literacy: The First Public Health Movement of the 21 st Century- White Paper; American Medical Association- Health Literacy, A Manual for Clinicians
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