Health Literacy and Education
Health literacy was first established in 1974. At this time, it was a discussion based on health education and the policies affecting the health care system. (Simonds, 1974, cited in Ratzan, 2001, p. 21). Different definitions of health literacy exist all around us. It is commonly referred to a person’s capability and capacity to gain and understand the basics of written and oral health care information, as well as appropriate services needed (Ratzan and Parker, 2000). The term literacy basically means the person has the ability to read and write, and a literate person has the capability of understanding what is read or written and incorporates this into a simple or general sentence (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2005, p. 15).
The field of health literacy began in the 1990s in conjunction of the awareness that education and health were strongly and widely linked (White, 2008). In the health care setting, it is imperative to be able to assess the literacy status of our clients to the best of their ability. Seeking this status will allow for common mistakes associated with low health literacy such as poor nurse communication and poor physician communication that directly affects the clients care, leading to inadequate medical care (AMA, 2007). Americans today, being the melting pot that we are, have an especially high prevalence of low literacy.
According to the Ad Hoc Committee on Health Literacy for the Council on Scientific Affairs of the American Medical Association (1999), the presence of low health literacy disables Americans from accessing, understanding and using health related information to better service the health needs. It costs the public health system a substantial amount per year a whopping $18.2 million in inefficient and /or misunderstood health-care services (Healthy People 2010, 2009). This financial number alone could be plenty enough to aide starving children and adolescence across the world, let
The field of health literacy began in the 1990s in conjunction of the awareness that education and health were strongly and widely linked (White, 2008). In the health care setting, it is imperative to be able to assess the literacy status of our clients to the best of their ability. Seeking this status will allow for common mistakes associated with low health literacy such as poor nurse communication and poor physician communication that directly affects the clients care, leading to inadequate medical care (AMA, 2007). Americans today, being the melting pot that we are, have an especially high prevalence of low literacy.
According to the Ad Hoc Committee on Health Literacy for the Council on Scientific Affairs of the American Medical Association (1999), the presence of low health literacy disables Americans from accessing, understanding and using health related information to better service the health needs. It costs the public health system a substantial amount per year a whopping $18.2 million in inefficient and /or misunderstood health-care services (Healthy People 2010, 2009). This financial number alone could be plenty enough to aide starving children and adolescence across the world, let
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