Health Literacy

A Prescription to End Confusion

The focus of the LVQ Conference 2008, was HEALTH LITERACY

Have you ever left your doctor's office confused by the advice you were just given? At sometime or other, most of us have felt limited in our knowledge and understanding of information related to our health.

Low literacy affects getting health services and health information.

• People with lower literacy skills (including people from cultural minorities) may find it hard to read and understand health information unless it is written simply and talks about health problems to which they can relate.
  
  
• Less literate people may not have health knowledge and health words to understand instructions and information, either spoken or written.
  
  
• People who do not speak English or French as their main language may face literacy barriers.
  
  
• People with low literacy may not know about services they can use. They often feel powerless and scared when they are in health clinics, or hospitals; and when they speak to doctors or other health workers.
  
  
• People with literacy barriers may make mistakes with their medications.

Improving the way health information is presented has the potential to improve the health of many. Everyone has a better chance of being healthy and taking control of their health if they understand health information.

Literacy and health workers will both have better results when they work together.
Literacy programs offer the health system an important way to reach people who are often most at risk. Health information, in turn, is a useful way to teach literacy.

Yamaska Literacy Council

239, rue Principale
Cowansville, QC J2K 1J4

Phone: 450-263-7503
Toll-free: 866-337-7503
Fax: 450-263-7209
E-mail: yamaskalit@endirect.qc.ca

Each One Teach One
www.yamaskaliteracy.ca