Health Literacy Fact Sheets

Type:: Fact Sheets
Author:: Linda Potter, Family Health Research; Constance Martin, Center for Health Care Strategies
Published:: August 2005

For information regarding the REALM and TOFHLA tools for assessing health literacy, referenced in these fact sheets, please visit the Columbia University School of Nursing website.

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Health Literacy Fact Sheets (239K)

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This series of nine fact sheets (listed below) was created for those who are designing patient education materials for consumers with low health literacy skills. The sheets define health literacy, describe its impact on health outcomes, provide strategies to prepare appropriate educational materials to assist low-literate consumers, and provide resources for additional health literacy information and publications.

What is Health Literacy?
Who has Health Literacy Problems?
Impact of Low Literacy Skills on Annual Health Care Expenditures
Health Literacy and Understanding Medical Information
Strategies to Assist Low-Literate Health Care Consumers
Preparing Patient Education Materials
Tools to Evaluate Patient Education Materials
Health Communication and Cultural Diversity
Resources for Health Literacy Information and Publications