Week 10: Health Literacy

Health Literacy:

The World Health Organisation states that, "Health Literacy is 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". From this statement my knowledge and understanding of health literacy is that people who are health literate are gaining an understanding of more concepts regarding their health. This may include seeking health care information, making appointments, decision making, communication and is able to address the environmental, political and social factors that determine health. I believe that being health literate is extremely beneficial for those individuals suffering from chronic illnesses or even the acute medical issues. I feel that health literacy is something you learn over-time when dealing with the health sector. 

The social determinants of health impact each individuals health outcomes differently. From previous readings I have determined that the social determinants are responsible for health inequities, which are often unavoidable differences. These include education, employment, culture, language, age, gender, occupation, class and ethnicity. From my understanding an individuals health literacy level is linked to various social determinants of health. For example families that have migrated to Australia have a different background of culture, language, education and ethnicity. This therefore effects their level of health literacy indicating a low understanding, which is a predictor of a person's health status (Center for Culture, Ethnicity and Health, n.d.). 

Populations at risk of low health literacy are older adults, racial and ethnic minorities, people with less than a high school degree, people with low income levels, non-native English speakers and people with compromised health status. As a result, we will find that these categories of people will be more likely to present in the emergency department, higher risk of death and hospitalizations. I believe that to improve my role as a registered nurse I should be educating individuals or groups of the importance of health literacy. With my knowledge of the topic I will  be aware of the populations at risk of low health literacy levels and spend more time educating them. Being an influential role model to the community will also help myself as a registered nurse as I will be interacting with people of all health literacy levels. I believe that this will be beneficial for myself as I will be able to form a deeper understanding of the topic. 

References:

World Health Organisation. (2016). Health Literacy and Health Behaviour. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/7gchp/track2/en/

Center for Culture, Ethnicity and Health. (n.d.). Social Determinants of Health and Health Literacy. Retrieved from http://www.ceh.org.au/downloads/Health_Literacy_Info_Sheets/Health_Literacy_9_social_determinants.pdf