Health Literacy and Education

Health literacy is an aspect of our personal health care that we cannot afford to ignore, as research indicates that more health literacy leads to better overall health. It can be a difficult and time consuming task, as understanding medical science and how it connects to health and disease can get complicated quickly. Yet it is something that we should teach our children and continue to strive to learn as an adult.

However, in today’s connected world, there are so many sources of information; it is difficult to know who and what sources to trust. That is why it is essential for health care communicators to vigilantly seek best practices in health literacy – including providers, community health educators, public health departments, or anyone involved in the health literacy and education process. This also means understanding the integral role of cultural competent care and health education, as often times cultural differences can lead to a lower quality of care.