Definition of health literacy

Infoforwellbeing
National
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1. Definition of health literacy

NHS Scotland, within the Making it Easy action plan states:

Speech bubble - people having enough knowledge, understanding skills, and confidence to use health information, to be active partners their care and to navigate health and social care systems

 

 

A quote from the Scottish Government Making it Easy action plan which says

The World Health Organisation describes health literacy as:

WHO quote

  

1. Scottish Government, Making it Easy, A Health Literacy Action Plan for Scotland Go to website

2. World Health Organisation, Regional Office for South-East Asia (2015) Go to website

2. Why health literacy matters

People need good health literacy skills to: Left to right, 2 rows of 3 Image 1 of 6 Stopwatch, apple, salad, weights. Point 1 of 6 manage health conditions such as diabetes; Image 2 of 6 Medicine bottle with blister pack of capsules in foreground. Point 2 of 6 follow medication instructions; Image 3 of 6 Clipboard with tick marks. Point 3 of 6 understand test results; Image 4 of 6 Two heads with arrows between them. Point 4 of 6 communicate health symptoms to health professionals; Image 5 of 6 Open envelope containing letter. Point 5 of 6 understand appointed letters or hospital signage;Image 6 of 6 Doctor and patient at a desk with a computer, having a discussion. Point 6 of 6 participate in health discussions and decision making about their health

3. The language of health

This video (Duration 1min 47s) highlights how confusing health terminology can be.

4. The health literacy gap

Image 1 of 5 One person followed by a red circle containing the number 1m. Point 1 of 5 Research shows that: 1 million people cannot follow a letter from a GP surgery or hospital; Image 2 of 5 0.7 of a person followed by one person followed by an orange circle containing the number 1.7m. Point 2 of 5 1.7 million are unable to explain feelings and symptoms over the phone; Image 3 of 5 5 people in a row followed by an yellow circle containing the number 5m. Point 3 of 5 5 million adults cannot find relevant data in standard health information; Image 4 of 5 6 and a half people in a row followed by a green circle containing the number 6.5m. Point 4 of 5 6.5 million cannot measure or record height and weight on a chart; Image 5 of 5 9 people in a row followed by a blue circle containing the number 9m. Point 5 of 5 9 million people are unable to use digital tools unaided

3. Source: Patient Information Forum December 2020 Go to website

5. Literacy skills gap

The literacy skills gap: 3 images and points, left to right Image 1 outline of a baby, child, teenager and adult with red asterisk above child Point 1 average reading age in the UK is 9-11 years old; Image 2 Crowd of people Point 2 Up to 1 million people cannot speak English well or at all; Image 3 Circle half pink, half red containing the number 50 percent. Point 3 50% of the population are at or below primary school numeracy level

6. Digital literacy

Left to right, 2 images per row Increasingly people need digital skills to: Image 1 Computer with bookshelf displayed on screen and a hand reaching for a book. Point 1 access health and social care information online, Image 2 Mobile device with circle containing white plus sign, healthcare professional. Point 2 book health appointments online, Next row Image 3 Computer screen displaying person wearing a headset Point 3 use video consultation tools such as Near Me, Image 4 Computer screen displaying news Point 4 Know how to avoid fake news and scams

7. Functional literacy

Functional literacy is a person's ability to read, write or do a maths calculation to perform every day tasks. Left to right Image 1 Circle with dark green circumference representing 43 percent. Point 1  Research shows that 43% of adults do not have adequate literacy to understand health information.Image 2 Circle with dark green circumference representing 61 percent. Point 2  This rises to 61% when numeracy skills are also needed. Citation 4 Rowlands, G. et al 2015

8. The 3L's

A person's health literacy is impacted by their digital literacy and their functional literacy

3Ls are health literacy, functional literacy and digital literacy

9. Who is at risk of low health literacy

Who is at risk? Some groups of people may be at more risk of low health literacy for example: Image 1 Red circle containing person. Risk 1 people with learning disabilities or autism; Image 2 Blue circle containing person Risk 2 people whose first language is not English, Image 3 Green circle containing a person Risk 3 older adults, Image 4 Purple circle containing a person Risk 4 people with low levels of education, Image 5 Yellow circle containing a person Risk 5 people in low socioeconomic groups.

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