It is often hard to conceptualize what it means to be “health literate” when you are a person working in the health field. Much of the health jargon I use day-to-day might as well be Greek to the average person. Terms such as “antioxidant” and “free radicals” roll of the tongue for me, but I often forget that many people will have no idea what I am actually talking about. This is not a new thing, and in fact health illiteracy is very commonplace even in educated individuals. But if health illiteracy is so commonplace what do we do about it? Health professionals and educators learn how to communicate effectively.
Being cognizant of how you communicate with individuals outside of the health field will determine how successful you are in helping others become healthier. With the overwhelming increase in people with chronic diseases, it is especially important to be able to communicate proper disease care and management. It is not enough to just give a diagnosis and a pamphlet on management. Due to the often complex nature of the treatment or management they need more to help them! There needs to be thorough education and explanation for the client or patient, otherwise you are setting them up for disastrous results.
In a Washington Post Article titled “Many Americans have poor health literacy” , Sandra G Boodman reports that only 36% of Americans have basic or below basic skills to “deal with health material.” She goes on to explain that this health illiteracy disproportionately affects elderly people, low-income individuals and recent immigrants. There has been a push to include plain language in materials that are given to patients in hospitals. In addition to plain language materials, some hospitals are also including the use of pictures, graphics and videos to make understanding it easier.
But why would you need to include pictures to make understanding already plain language? General illiteracy is also a huge problem in the country. Sandra G. Boodman explores why for some people just reading can be an issue. She estimates that 90 million Americans can only read and understand at a 5th grade level- making complicated disease management brochures and pamphlets particularly hard to comprehend. It is no secret that there is a huge educational disparity in America, and it is highly reflective in how people are able to use basic skills in everyday life, like reading and writing. Health care access is something that is required for all to live a healthy life, but we must make sure that everyone is able to equally benefit from the support and services it provides.
As a future professional with a heavy background in Nutrition, it will be imperative that I recognize that not everyone will understand the concepts and information I utilize. It is something to be sensitive of, especially if the person you are working with not only has issues with health literacy, but also general literacy. The key to being able to help any person, whether it is a friend, a client or a family member, is communication, and that is also the beginning of bridging the gap with health literacy.
