http://www.health.gov/communication/literacy/quickguide/factsliteracy.htm
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Choosing a healthy lifestyle, knowing how to seek medical care, and taking advantage of preventive measures require that people understand and use health information. The ability to obtain, process, and understand health information needed to make informed health decisions is known as health literacy. Given the complexity of the healthcare system, it is not surprising that limited health literacy is associated with poor health. This fact sheet summarizes key research study findings on the relationship between health literacy and health outcomes.