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Statistics at a Glance
- The health of more than 90 million people in the United States may be at risk because of the difficulty some patients experience in understanding and acting on health information.
- According to the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), almost 45% of the United States population (or 93 million Americans) have only basic or below basic literacy skills:
- The NAAL categorizes Below Basic as the ability to perform only the most simple and concrete literacy skills such as:
- signing a form
- adding amounts on a bank deposit slip
- searching in a simple text to find out what a patient is allowed to drink before a medical test.
- The NAAL considers Basic skills as the ability to perform simple and everyday literacy activities such as:
- using a TV guide to find out what programs are at a specific time
- comparing ticket prices for two events
- finding in a pamphlet how people are selected for the jury pool.
- The NAAL only measures adult literacy, that is, the ability to read. Health literacy is much broader, involving the ability to read, understand and act upon health information. Numeracy is also an important component of health literacy.
- Low health literacy negatively impacts health outcomes. Adults with low health literacy:
- Are often less likely to comply with prescribed treatment and
self-care regimens
- Make more medication or treatment errors
- Fail to seek preventive care
- Are at a higher risk for hospitalization than people with adequate
literacy skills
- Remain in hospital nearly 2 days longer
- Lack the skills needed to negotiate the health care system
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