Health literacy is the ability to understand and act on basic health information. Nearly half of all adults in the United Sates — 90 million people — have trouble understanding and using health information.
Low health literacy affects a person's health status more than any other factor, including education, income, employment or race. People may speak English well, but still have low health literacy.
People with low health literacy:
- don't seek preventative care
- are less likely to follow prescribed treatments
- stay in the hospital longer than those with higher health literacy
- are often ashamed to ask for help making health care decisions
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