Library and Information Science Commons^™

Health Literacy: An Overview Of An Emerging Field, Mary Grace Flaherty

School of Information Student Research Journal

According to the National Adult Literacy Survey, nearly 90 million American adults test below a high school level for literacy skills (Kirsch, Jungeblut, Jenkins & Kolstad, 1993).Because most health materials are written at least at the high school level, this finding has major implications in terms of health care provision in this country (Helitzer, Hollis, Cotner & Oestreicher, 2009). This paper attempts to give an overview of the field of health literacy and includes: a brief background with current definitions; a description of screening and measurement tools; a discussion of aspects of limited literacy; the implications for quality health care; …