Medical and Social Sciences researchers define “Health Literacy” differently. For Nutbeam [1], researchers in the field of Medicine refer to health literacy as a “risk factor”, equivalent to any risk factor that can (or should) be assessed clinically. On the other hand, researchers in Social Sciences envision health literacy as a personal “asset” to be built.

What is Health Literacy?

VIDEO about Health Literacy

This short video sums up common understandings between the medical and the social sciences perspectives on the concept of “health literacy”.

The definition presented in this video refers to the 2008 Report of the Expert Panel on Health Literacy from the Canadian Public Health Association.

Reading about Health Literacy

Many reports and academic articles contribute to shape our understanding of health literacy. The following documents often serve as a reference for researchers. They are publicly accessible – you may need to register your email, but you should not be required to pay to access any of these documents online.

• Health literacy. The solid facts (2013)
  World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe
• A Vision for a Health Literate Canada: Report of the Expert Panel on Health Literacy (2008)
  Canadian Public Health Association
• Health Literacy in Canada: A Healthy Understanding (2008)
  Canadian Council on Learning
• Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion (2004)
  American Institute of Medicine

Other publications (including academic articles) will appear in future articles and in the Bibliography section (to come soon).

References:

[1] Nutbeam, D. (2008). The evolving concept of health literacy. Social Science & Medicine, 67, 2072 – 2078.