Healthy People 2030 – Health Literacy

12%.  I think any statistic quoted at 12% is considered low in most circumstances.

I was surprised to find out that the health literacy rate in the United States is 12%. What does that mean? It means that only 12 out of 100 people have the necessary knowledge to understand health information and services. That’s not a lot of people.

Health literacy allows people to manage their own or a loved one’s medical needs while feeling empowered. Patient advocates like me help bridge the gap that exists in health literacy by helping patients navigate the complexity of medical decisions and the healthcare system.

There are things that we can do as patients to improve our own health literacy but there are also things that health systems and providers can do to reduce the burden for understanding health information. Please check out this video from the Healthy People 2030 initiative on some simple things the healthcare system can do to improve health literacy.