The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) believes that teaching children to become proactive with their health through improved health literacy deserves national attention, starting at the community level. The PAs for Health Literacy campaign, developed and funded by AAPA, promotes health literacy and an increased understanding of health among children.
What is health literacy?
Health literacy is defined as a person’s ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
Why promote health literacy?
- Health literacy is a better forecaster of one's health status than age, income, employment, ethnicity, or education level, according to the Institute of Medicine (IOM)
- Nearly half of American adults - 90 million people - have difficulty comprehending and acting upon health information, according to IOM
- Health literacy is weakest among patients who report overall poor health; in other words, the population most in need of health care is least able to read and understand information needed to function as a patient, according to the National Center for Education Statistics
- Avoidable adult health care spending suggests high costs due to low health literacy patients, with estimates running as high as $69 billion in avoidable expenditures, according to IOM
- According to a study among immigrant families reported in The Journal of American Medical Association, "26% could not understand when their next appointment was scheduled; 42% could not understand instructions to take medication on an empty stomach; and 49% could not determine if they were eligible for free care"
