Defining and measuring health literacy: how can we profit from other literacy domains?

Abstract

When the antecedents of health-promoting behavior are explored, the concept of health literacy is deemed a factor of major influence. Originally defined as reading, writing and numeracy skills in the health domain, health literacy is now considered a multidimensional concept. The ongoing discussion on health literacy reveals that no agreement exists about which dimensions to include in the concept. To contribute to the development of a consistent and parsimonious concept of health literacy, we conducted a critical review of concepts in other literacy domains. Our review was guided by two research questions: (i) Which dimensions are included in the concepts of other literacy domains? (ii) How can health literacy research profit from other literacy domains? Based on articles collected from PubMed, PsycINFO, Communication & Mass Media Complete, CINAHL, SAGE Full-Text Collection, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar as well as selected monographs and editions, we identified seven distinct dimensions. Some of the dimensions recur across all reviewed literacy domains and first attempts have been made to operationalize the dimensions. Expanding upon these dimensions, the paper discusses how they can prove useful for elaborating a consistent and parsimonious concept of health literacy and foster the development of a more holistic measure.

Discussing the Effects of Poor Health Literacy on Patients Facing HIV: A Narrative Literature Review

“…Moreover, a recent study about adolescents living with HIV infection showed that health literacy affected neither medication adherence nor self-efficacy perception, even after controlling for age and education levels. 48 The Consequences of Poor Health Literacy on the Treatment of HIV Even though the scientific literature is not unanimous in discussing the impacts which are associated with limited health literacy, 49 many scholars maintain that poor health literate patients: (1) perceive low self-efficacy dealing with their health conditions; (2) are not willing to be involved in the provision of care; (3) show larger risks of hospitalization; and (4) are not aware of the determinants of well-being. 50,51 In the light of these insights, both scholars and practitioners have presented inadequate health literacy as a "silent epidemic" 20,52,53 which is affecting most of the worldwide population.…”

Health literacy among young adults: a short survey tool for public health and health promotion research

“…There is growing consensus today that HL is context specific, i.e. its function, acquisition and application should be studied and understood in the light of distinct contextual conditions (Nutbeam, 2000;Kickbusch and Maag, 2006;Pleasant and Kuruvilla, 2008;Freedman et al, 2009;Frisch et al, 2012).…”

Health literacy among schoolteachers in Çorum, Turkey

“…Poor health literacy reduces a patient's understanding of their illnesses, leading to lower levels of adherence with treatment. This too can greatly increase the likelihood of patients seeking treatment from emergency services which creates a financial burden on the health-care system, delays in inpatient treatment and higher cost of hospitalization (3,(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10).…”