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The health of nearly one-half of all adults in the United States is jeopardized by low health literacy—the inability to read, understand, and act on basic health information. These adults may fail to take medication properly, understand written and oral medical instructions, consider negative drug interactions, and more.
At greatest risk are adults who struggle with reading, the elderly, members of minority groups, immigrants, and low-income consumers of medical care. Low health literacy is especially dangerous for people with chronic conditions that require self-management, such as diabetes, sickle cell disease, and asthma.
Since the launch of TV411 in 1998, our materials have frequently used health as a context for lessons that strengthen basic reading, writing, and math. In recent years, we have created new videos, print materials, and web lessons that impart health-related information in plain language that low-level readers can grasp. Many of these materials are featured in the seven units of the TV411 Health Smarts Kit, a multimedia curriculum for literacy instructors and community health educators. Other materials have been adapted for our innovative, hospital-based literacy initiative, TV411 Health Smarts
While You Wait.
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