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.
People with high health literacy:
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Feel understood and supported by healthcare providers
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Have enough information to manage their health
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Actively manage their health
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Have social support for health
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Can tell the difference between good and bad quality health information
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Can work with healthcare providers to manage their health
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Can find and use the health services they need
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Can find good health information
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Understand health information well enough to know what to do
What effect does health literacy have on my health?
In general, the better your health literacy, the better your health. Compared to people with low health literacy, people with good health literacy are:
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More likely to do things to protect their health (e.g. eat well or not smoke) or prevent disease
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Better able to manage long-term health problems (e.g. diabetes, cardiovascular disease)
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Less likely to need emergency medical care or be admitted to hospital
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More likely to take medication properly
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Better able to understand labels and health messages
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What things affect health literacy?
People’s health literacy is influenced by:
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Socioeconomic status
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Employment
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Income
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Social support
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Culture
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Language
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Environment
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Government
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Media
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Family and friends
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Age
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Racial background
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Vision
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Hearing
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Ability to speak
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Memory
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Reasoning skills
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Physical ability
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Social skills
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Literacy (reading and writing)
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Internet access and computer skills
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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.
Things that will help you improve your own health literacy include:
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Knowing where to find good quality health information
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Learning about the health problems that affect you
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Finding a GP who listens to you, provides information in a way that helps you to understand it, and checks with you to make sure you understand their advice and instructions
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Communicating with health professionals in your preferred language
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Preparing questions to take when you attend health appointments
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.
