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This report discusses the affects low health literacy has on a person's health status and why health literacy is important to overall health. Low health literacy affects a person's health status more than any other factor, including education, income, and employment or race. Because people with limited health literacy don't tend to seek preventative care and are less likely to follow prescribed treatments, health is compromised and the possibility of a hospital stay is more likely. The report aptly describes the reasons why health literacy is important.

Nutbeam describes the importance of improving access to health information and the capacity to use it effectively as a public health goal. Because strategies include more personal forms of communication and community-based educational outreach, a reduction in low health literacy would be possible and the end goal would result in individuals being more involved in their health care decisions. This would empower them. Nutbeam makes a reasonable point for health literacy as a public health goal as a means for reducing low health literacy.

The Report discusses how nearly half of all American adults have difficulty understanding and using health information. Many patients do not always understand health information, so they get less preventative health care and use expensive health services such as emergency care more frequently. By incorporating health knowledge into the existing curricula of kindergarten through 12th grades classes, as well as into adult education community programs, confusion in health literacy can be eliminated. The IOM makes valid points and suggestions for ending the confusion with health literacy.

Vernon, lead author of this report, and fellow colleagues, discuss the economic inefficiency in the U.S. healthcare system caused by low health literacy. Annual costs to the U.S. economy are in the billion dollar range. The report shows that low health literacy is associated with lack of stable coverage and reliable health care access, a national health reform to improve health literacy would result in major savings as well as better health care. Vernon and associates make valid points to the cost of low health literacy to the economy.

Health literacy is basic reading and numerical skills that allow a person to function in the health care environment. Even though most adults read at an eighth-grade level, and 20 percent of the population reads at or below a fifth-grade level, most health care materials are written at a 10th-grade level. Older patients are particularly affected because their reading and comprehension abilities are influenced by their cognition and their vision and hearing status. Inadequate health literacy can result in difficulty accessing health care, following instructions from a physician, and taking medication properly. Patients with inadequate health literacy are more likely to be hospitalized than patients with adequate skills. Patients understand medical information better when spoken to slowly, simple words are used, and a restricted amount of information is presented. For optimal comprehension and compliance, patient education material should be written at a sixth-grade or lower reading level, preferably including pictures and illustrations. All patients prefer reading medical information written in clear and concise language. Physicians should be alert to this problem because most patients are unwilling to admit that they have literacy problems. (Am Fam Physician 2005;72:463-8. Copyright© 2005 American Academy of Family Physicians.)

Bryan discusses how practical steps that healthcare providers and executives can implement to enable health literate communities can provide several solutions to solve the health literacy crisis. A team effort, use of standardized communication tools, plain language, and educational materials are suggested. Because the health care providers are instrumental in reducing low health literacy, policies that include solutions that are easy to implement to enable health literate communities are necessary. Bryan makes useful suggestions for providers and policy makers which seems plausible.

The article discusses what health literacy is and what constitutes good health literacy. Cultural, language and communication barriers have great potential to lead to mutual misunderstandings between patients and their health care providers. Because these barriers lead to communication breakdowns, patient safety is jeopardized, so changes that will permit patients to receive more time, attention, education and understanding of their conditions and their care will help alleviate these obstacles.

A study found that women still lag far behind men in top political and decision-making roles, though their access to education and health care is nearly equal.

In a detailed look at nearly 30 years of research on how television, music, movies and other media affect the lives of children and adolescents, a new study released today found an array of negative health effects linked to greater use.

As health-care costs skyrocket, a down-to-earth approach to healing is emerging, complementing high-tech medicine with high-touch arts.

Signal and team explore New Zealand and the low-income inhibiters. This study used focus groups to question 158 shoppers. They concluded that many did not have time to read the labels or did not have the understanding to do so. This study was well organized and had useful conclusions. Also its background was informative, and the study itself added that people of New Zealand lack education to read the nutrition labels, it is not just in the US.

not necessarily an article but it is a guide to help you read the nutrition facts. I wanted to bookmark this so that I could refer to it at sometime possibly, and others may be interested to see it.