{"id":114407,"date":"2020-10-15T09:00:11","date_gmt":"2020-10-15T13:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=114407"},"modified":"2020-11-30T10:18:39","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T15:18:39","slug":"why-heath-literacy-matters-especially-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/why-heath-literacy-matters-especially-during-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Heath Literacy Matters \u2014 Especially During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"
To effectively battle COVID-19, we all need reliable, accurate information. But what if you can\u2019t understand the medical information your healthcare provider gives you? Health literacy is the ability to get, read, understand and use information to make appropriate health decisions and to be able to follow your provider\u2019s instructions for treatment. But too many of us can\u2019t do that, which poses a serious challenge during this pandemic. For advice, we turn this week to UCF experts on health literacy \u2014 Richard Zraick, an expert in clinical skills training at the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders<\/a>, Ann Miller, an expert in health communication, and Mary Schmidt-Owens, a leader at UCF\u2019s Student Health Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n Health literacy allows you to be empowered about your health and medical care. If you are health literate, you can find key messages, understand those messages, act on the information you receive and remember that information so it continues to impact your behavior. But a study by the U.S. Department of Education found that 36 percent of people \u2014 more than 1 in 3 \u2014 scored as \u201cbasic\u201d or \u201cbelow basic\u201d in terms of their health literacy. That means they might be able to circle a date on the calendar for their next clinic appointment but could not understand directions such as \u201cTake one tablet every 12 hours with food\u201d on their prescription bottle. People over age 65, those with lower socioeconomic status and education, and those whose first language is not English are at the highest risk for health illiteracy. That makes health literacy the biggest social determinant of health \u2014 those who cannot access health information have the poorest health outcomes.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t think problems with health literacy could never happen to you. Studies show that 3 to 5 percent of college-educated adults have poor health literacy. Why? Those of us lucky enough not to have a chronic health condition may not have much experience with visits to healthcare providers, the medical jargon they can use, and the hand-outs of instructions we often receive after a visit. Plus, going to the provider can be stressful \u2014 you\u2019re unsure what\u2019s wrong, you don\u2019t feel well, you\u2019re anxious. Those emotions can impact your understanding of what you\u2019re being told. College students often have limited health literacy because their parents took the lead in handling their healthcare needs before they left home. Parents asked all the questions, filled out all the forms and told their child when and how to take prescriptions. As one student recently told a Student Health Services provider, \u201cWhen I filled out my medical history form, I had to call my dad. The only thing I could fill out was my name and address.\u201d<\/p>\n What\u2019s the solution? First, if you\u2019re a patient, don\u2019t leave your healthcare appointment without having answers to these three questions:<\/p>\n\n