Resource Library: Health Literacy

  • Health literacy is about people having enough knowledge, understanding, skills and confidence to use health information, to be active partners in their care, and to navigate health and social care systems. Therefore, to access, assess and apply health information, people need to be health literate. The health literacy levels in England are very low: 43% of 16 to 65-year-olds struggle with text-based health information; and 61% of 16 to 65-year-olds cannot understand health information that includes both text and numbers (Rowlands et al., 2015. (View article).


    • “The strongest correlation to ill health – stronger than education level, deprivation, age or ethnicity – is health literacy” (People and Communities Board, 2017).

      People with low health literacy are more likely to suffer from health inequalities that lead to the poorest health outcomes. Low health literacy is associated with a 75% increased risk of dying earlier than high literacy levels (Bobstock, 2012).

      The Literacy Changes Lives (2008) report highlighted that those with low literacy are:

      • 1.5 to 3 times more likely to have poorer health outcomes.
      • Up to 18 times more likely to take their prescriptions incorrectly.
      • Significantly less likely to understand symptoms of a medical condition.
      • More likely to rate their health as ‘very poor’ than those with better literacy skills.

      Health literacy is also an enabler of personalised care. In shared decision-

      making, for example, people must understand the information they are provided with to participate in decisions and their health and care.

      Download our evidence-based infographic on Health Literacy by clicking the link below: Health Literacy Infographic V2


      • The following online learning resources are available. The Personalised Care Team at NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire also offer virtual, trainer-led sessions on an ad-hoc basis, which can be tailored to specific service needs. To request a session, please contact us at hw.personalisedcare@nhs.net.

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