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ABSTRACT
Health communicators can draw some early lessons from the first five to six months of the worldwide experience with the Coronavirus Disease 2019. While it is critically important to apply known efficacious principles of communication strategies, we would do well to imbue our efforts with insights from health literacy studies. We know from national and international assessments that a significant proportion of adults in most industrialized nations have limited literacy and numeracy skills and face difficulty using commonly available materials to accomplish everyday tasks with accuracy and consistency. We must be certain to make information more accessible by being attentive to tone and voice, organization of information, vocabulary, numbers, data presentations – in our talks, writings, and postings. We need to apply rigor to the development of written, spoken, and displayed information and be certain to use available tools to develop, assess, pilot, and re-formulate health messages and materials - to help the public gain access to needed insights, developments, instructions, and actions. The health literacy lens supports a focus on the characteristics of health communications that facilitate or impede access to information, comprehension, and action. We know too that we must make critical information more widely available - considering that the most vulnerable amongst us may have limited literacy skills, have access to scarce resources, and face higher exposure. Health literacy insights can support strategies to broaden the reach of health information and contribute to efforts to mitigate the ravages of disparities.
Disclosure statement
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. No funds supported the development of this article.
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Notes on contributors
Rima Rudd
Rima Rudd, ScD, a JCIH editorial board member, is on faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her work focuses on community health, inequities, and literacy related barriers to health information and care. She is one of the founders and leaders in health literacy studies.
Cynthia Baur
Cynthia Baur, PhD, is the Endowed Chair and Director, Horowitz Center for Health Literacy, School of Public Health, University of Maryland. Her work focuses on best practices, digital technologies, and community-based approaches to health literacy. She initiated and managed the Healthy People 2010 and 2020 health literacy objectives and National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy.