Health Literacy Definition Canada

The degree to which an individual has the capacity to obtain communicate process and understand basic health information and services to make appropriate health decisions.

Health literacy definition canada. 60 of adults were below level 3 health literacy skills the percentage of individuals with low health literacy skills increased with age. 43 of adults have literacy levels below what. 60 do not have the necessary skills to manage their health adequately.

Health literacy represents the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health. For the purposes of this framework health literacy refers to an individual s interaction with people performing health related activities in settings such as hospitals clinics physician s offices home health care public health agencies and insurers. Health literacy is defined by the centers for disease control and prevention as.

Good health literacy means being able to access understand evaluate communicate and use information related to your health and the health of others to make appropriate health decisions. Thus health literacy means more than being able to read pamphlets and make appointments. Health literacy concerns the knowledge and competences of persons to meet the complex demands of health in modern society.

Specifically there is notable opportunity for community based interventions to promote functional health literacy using the public health model of health literacy. We can consider health literacy from the public health standpoint as a personal and community asset to be built through health education and promotion interventions nutbeam 2008. Health literacy implies the achievement of a level of knowledge personal skills and confidence to take action to improve personal and community health by changing personal lifestyles and living conditions.

Health literacy refers broadly to the ability of individuals to gain access to understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health 1 for themselves their families and their communities. Although its importance is increasingly recognised there is no consensus about the definition of health literacy or about its conceptual dimensions which limits the possibilities for measurement and comparison. This is also the definition that was included in healthy people 2010 and 2020.