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Knowledge is Power – Why Health Literacy Is Important For You

These days, it seems as if we’re bombarded with health messages nearly around the clock from a variety of sources — television, printed media, the Internet, and our doctor’s office and pharmacy, just to name a few.

What we do with this information can make a critical difference to our health. How? Our ability to read, understand, and act on important health information that comes our way — a term called health literacy — can give us the knowledge and ability to take better care of our health and make key health-related decisions for ourselves and those we love.

“Health literacy is important for everything from taking medications correctly to filling out a health insurance application,” says Gabriel Rios, MLIS, Deputy Director of the UAB Lister Hill Library of Health Sciences. “A high degree of health literacy empowers patients to navigate sometimes complex health information and make better, informed decisions about their own healthcare. Overall, health literacy is associated with better health outcomes.”

Health Literacy Matters

When you stop to think about it, being able to read and understand health information is essential for a wide range of tasks involving your health. Health literacy is needed for:

  • Understanding how to take medications correctly (for example, reading pill bottles);
  • Appointment slips and hospital discharge instructions;
  • Informed consents;
  • Health education materials;
  • Insurance applications.

Research shows that a low level of health literacy can have a negative impact on health, leading to potential problems such as:

  • Not keeping doctor’s appointments;
  • Inability to find clinic/office;
  • Failure to take medications correctly;
  • Giving physicians an incomplete health history;
  • Overuse of emergency room; and
  • Medical diagnoses being made at later stages.

Health literacy may also be a matter of life and death. “Studies have shown that lower health literacy is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization and lower life expectancy,” explains Rios.

Resources to Improve Health Literacy

Several web sites are currently available that provide thorough, easy-to-understand information about a variety of health conditions — and some can even help you find a doctor to treat certain conditions.

“Health consumers should evaluate health-related web sites according to three criteria,” explains Rios. “First the site should have some authority about the subject matter presented on the site. To evaluate this, look for ‘about us’ or ‘contact info.’ on the site to determine if the information is presented by medical experts.”

Next, Rios says health consumers should look for signs of possible bias on the site, including advertisements or product endorsements. “These may represent a conflict of interest,” he says.

Last, Rios emphasizes that health sites should be evaluated for currency. “You want to know that you’re receiving the most up-to-date information possible,” says Rios. “Look for information about when the site was created, the last time it was updated, and if there are dead links on the site.”

Two strong sites Rios recommends include:

Medlineplus – This comprehensive, informative site is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. “The site is a consumer-friendly gateway to quality health information,” observes Rios. Logging on to this site will give you easy access to:

  • A section with 750 topics on conditions, diseases, and wellness;
  • A section with detailed information about prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, herbs, and supplements;
  • 165 interactive tutorials with sound and pictures;
  • Information about studies for new drugs and treatments;
  • A category featuring health information for older adults;
  • Directories of doctors, dentists and hospitals;
  • Health information provided in more than 40 languages.

NIH Senior Health – This user-friendly site features comprehensive health and wellness information for older adults from the National Institutes of Health. To help older adults easily navigate the site, the text can be made larger or can be read aloud. Log on to this site, and you’ll find:

  • Information about a variety of health topics, listed alphabetically;
  • An Exercise Stories section featuring compelling stories of older adults and the diverse activities they enjoy;
  • A Health Videos category offering up-to-date medical information, tips for healthy living, and inspiring stories of older adults who are coping with diseases or conditions of aging.
Article last updated: July 20, 2009 11:08 AM