By: Rachel Miller, Virginia Tech, Dietetic Intern   Date: 3/4/11

For just a minute, think about the types of books you were reading in 6th grade.  You may have wanted to be in The Babysitter’s Club or maybe the Goosebumps books were keeping you awake at night.  Perhaps you were instructed to read something more traditional like Little Women or The Swiss Family Robinson.  While these books were probably challenging for you to read at the time, you may now be able to nostalgically breeze through their chapters.  However, the story may be different if you’re trying to make sense of a food ingredient list or the multi-page insert that comes with your new computer.  

Health Literacy Research

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Education published research which classified English-speaking adult health literacy as below basic, basic, intermediate, and proficient.  Their findings:

• 53% of Americans are in the intermediate category
• 12% of Americans are in the proficient category

To be included in the intermediate category, participants had to interpret or apply health concepts from texts, while proficient scorers drew abstract inferences and compared/contrasted multiple pieces of information.

The Health Literacy Challenge

These numbers indicate a challenge to make health literacy an important part of health communication. Health literacy is not simply the ability to read. It requires a complex group of reading, listening, analytical, and decision-making skills, and the ability to apply these skills to health situations. According to the American Medical Association, poor health literacy is "a stronger predictor of a person's health than age, income, employment status, education level, and race.” The Institute of Medicine estimates that nearly half of the U.S. population has trouble understanding and using health information. 

This means a lot for those communicating about food and health. Consumers encounter terms like monounsaturated fatty acid” and “interesterified soybean oils” on food labels. Even the key messages for consumers that were recently released with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines include concepts that are unfamiliar with most Americans such as ‘nutrient density’ and ‘energy balance’.  So,  how can the gap between health messages and consumer understanding be filled? 

Health Literacy Action Plan

In 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services publicized its Health Literacy Action Plan that includes the following seven goals for improving health literacy in America:

1. Develop and disseminate health and safety information that is accurate, accessible, and actionable
2. Promote changes in the health care system that improve health information, communication, informed decision-making, and access to health services
3. Incorporate accurate, standards-based, and developmentally appropriate health and science information and curricula in child care and education through the university level
4. Support and expand local efforts to provide adult education, English language instruction, and culturally and linguistically appropriate health information services in the community
5. Build partnerships, develop guidance, and change policies
6. Increase basic research and the development, implementation, and evaluation of practices and interventions to improve health literacy
7. Increase the dissemination and use of evidence-based health literacy practices and interventions

The full report relists these goals and suggests steps that can be made to attain them.  These goals were created to fulfill the health literacy objectives outlined in the Healthy People 2020 initiative.  This is just one of many health literacy campaigns in America. 

Have you ever been confused by a health message? Tell us about it.

Resources:
Health Literacy: National Network of Libraries of Medicine
Health Literacy Action Plan Report
What We Know About…Health Literacy (CDC)