what is…
Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information needed to make appropriate health decisions.
Housed in the UNTHSC School of Public Health, the Health Literacy Lab is an interprofessional team of health literacy experts dedicated to improving individual and population health by making health information easy to understand and use. The Health Literacy Lab provides education and services to individuals and organizations who use or communicate health information for themselves, patients, and the public.
WebLitLegit is a toolkit that helps people recognize science-based information from opinion, identify credible sources, question why the information is being presented and analyze if it sounds too good to be true.
Only 12 percent of adults have proficient health literacy, according to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
Agency for Health care Research & Quality states, “9 out of 10 Americans may lack the knowledge and skills needed to manage their health and prevent disease.”
Low health literacy is estimated to cost the U.S. economy up to $236 billion every year.
J. Vernon, A. Trujillo, S. Rosenbaum, and B. DeBuono. Low Health Literacy: Implications for National Health Policy. University of Connecticut, 2007.