By Kyra Cummings
Promoted by the Institute for Healthcare Advancement, October is acknowledged as Health Literacy Month. Healthy People 2030 defines health literacy as “Personal health literacy” and “Organizational health literacy.” Personal health literacy refers to individuals and their ability to comprehend and use information and services to make decisions for their health and others. Conversely, “Organizational health literacy relates to organizations and their ability to help everyone discover and comprehend information to make decisions about their health and others.
Health literacy is pertinent to personal health outcomes. Those with personal low literacy are more likely to have frequent visits to the emergency room, misuse medication, have medical errors, or have weak preventative care for their children. Furthermore, low health literacy can lead to misunderstandings, medical errors, and poor health decisions, while high health literacy empowers individuals to take charge of their health. Health literacy not only affects individuals, but it also affects the healthcare system as a whole. Because low health literacy leads to frequent visits to the emergency room, doctor’s offices, etc., this leads to avoidable healthcare spending.
Health literacy overlaps as a health equity issue and social determinant of health. This leads to increased health disparities among vulnerable and marginalized populations. According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, groups who are more likely to have below basic health literacy skills include uninsured individuals, Medicaid or Medicare recipients, those living under the poverty line, people who are 65 and older, and people who are Hispanic or Black.
At times, health literacy can be hard to recognize. It is important to promote and elevate health literacy competency. Improve your cultural competence, use plain language avoid jargon, and make sure written materials are tailored to the audience needed to understand them. Additionally, promote Health Literacy Month this October by spreading awareness and resources.
Do you want to improve your personal health literacy? Donate blood with the American Red Cross! When an individual comes to donate blood with the Red Cross, they get a mini-physical and additional information on their current health status. Schedule an appointment to give by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Want to learn more? Check out these resources from the Institute for Healthcare Advancement:
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