Health literacy in the UK
18th August 2021 by Alex Teckkam
Poor health literacy is a key challenge both at home and abroad.
The issue is complex and can seriously impact a person’s ability to look after
themselves, care for those around them and access the health services they
need.
At medDigital we are focused on overcoming healthcare
challenges. We want to help deliver a coordinated approach between
non-government organisations (NGOs), pharma, government and the wider life
sciences industry to provide clear and understandable health information to the
people who need it.
Improving health literacy benefits us all. We want to help people feel confident in accessing the right health services, know when to seek the help they need and be empowered to care for themselves and for those around them.
About health literacy
Health literacy is defined by the
World Health Organisation as ‘the personal characteristics and social resources
needed for individuals and communities to access, understand, appraise and use
information and services to make decisions about health’
A complex definition for a complex issue. A
person’s health literacy is affected by a variety of factors from education and
access to good quality information to community influences and religious
beliefs,
Good health literacy helps people to stay healthy. It means that a person is more likely to feel confident in accessing healthcare services, such as knowing when to go to A&E or the pharmacy. It also means they are more empowered to look after themselves and others, how to help stay well and when to seek help.
Adapted from: Paasche-Orlow M, Wolf M. The Causal Pathways Linking Health Literacy to Health Outcomes. Am J Health Behav. 2007;31 Suppl 1:S19-26. doi:10.5993/AJHB.31.s1.4
Poor health literacy leads to poorer health outcomes
Poor health literacy is linked with
unhealthy lifestyle factors such as poor diet, smoking and low physical
activity as well as increased risk of dying prematurely. (PHE, 2015) A report
by Public Health England (PHE) found that people with poor health literacy are
also more likely to use emergency services and have trouble managing a
long-term condition. (PHE, 2015) Incidence of poor health literacy in the UK is
high. Improvement is needed across sectors to make sure that people are given
the tools they need to look after themselves effectively.
|
42% |
working age adults find UK health information too complex. |
|
61% |
working age adults find UK health information too complex if the
information contains numeracy. (PHE, 2015) |
What we are doing
No one sector or industry is responsible for the issue of poor health literacy in the UK. The level of complexity also means that no one sector can solve it. We need to improve collaboration and knowledge sharing across industries to help ensure that people are getting the support and information they need to look after their health.
At medDigital we want to bring people together to share best
practice on creating clear, concise and accessible information for your public
audience.
- We will provide access to expert content
and resources to keep you up to date with the latest research and insights on
health literacy.
- We will engage with key leaders in the
field to share their knowledge and experience.
- We will organise cross-sector knowledge sharing events and workshops to encourage discussion and collaboration.