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Health literacy: simple definition, thoughtful implementation

Health literacy logoWhile browsing Twitter for a blog post topic, I came across a link to the Center for Health Literacy at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Upon visiting their site, I found a definition of health literacy that is concise and understandable:

Health literacy is the ability to get information, understand it, and use information to lower risk and better health.

In addition, this site posted a YouTube video from Harvard School of Public Health’s Dr. Rima Rudd, Senior Lecturer on Society, Human Development, and Health. In it, she talks about the “Perspective” article she wrote for the New England Journal of Medicine on improving Americans’ health literacy.

Unfortunately, NEJM’s link to one of the sources cited in her paper is not working properly, namely, the report “Literacy & Health Outcomes” from AHRQ (the link to the left works). If only librarians had been consulted in the building of the Internet and World Wide Web…