What is health literacy?
A person’s health literacy is their ability to find, understand and use information and services to help them manage their health. An organisation’s health literacy is how well it enables all people to find, understand and use information and services to help them manage their health.
What effect does health literacy have on my health?
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What things affect health literacy?
Men’s health literacy is related to their beliefs about what society expects of men. Those who agree that men should behave in line with traditional gender roles (e.g. showing strength, self-reliance, independence, invulnerability and dominance) tend to have lower health literacy than men who do not support these traditional roles.
How can I improve my health literacy?
There is not a lot of information to guide people who want to improve their own health literacy, and there are no studies specifically aimed at improving the health literacy of boys and men.
It can be helpful to write down the things you need to talk to your doctor about — and any questions you have — before you see them, and to take notes during your appointment.
