Health Literacy: A New Area of Research With Links to Communication

Abstract

The nascent but expanding field of health literacy research contributes to our understanding of the determinants of health. Over the past 10 years, health researchers, practitioners, and policymakers have been attentive to the links between a person's literacy skills and health outcomes, where lower literacy skills are most often associated with poorer health outcomes. However, there is growing attention to the substantial mismatch between existing literacy skills and the expectations of the health sector; this mismatch likely plays a part in such poor health outcomes. As researchers and practitioners in health literacy are examining efficacious actions, they are recognizing the need for collaborative work with those in education and in health communication. This article focuses on the developments in the field of health literacy studies and makes an argument for collaborative efforts among such professionals who have thus far charted relatively independent courses.