Health Literacy

Abstract

Both candidates in the 2000 presidential campaign focused on issues related to health and education as key components of their platforms. Yet the campaign failed to address an emerging problem with the American and world community—health literacy. Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Large numbers of the U.S. population lack an adequate level of health literacy to be able to function effectively in the health care system. Within the context of the presidential campaign rhetoric on health and education, this study examines health literacy and summarizes the voluminous research published on this topic and its implications for health communication, intervention and research. Although health literacy did not receive adequate attention in the presidential campaign, the authors advocate that it should be a focus for policy makers.