Ann Alfred, PHC RIS
Every individual's health is affected by the kinds of decisions and actions taken about a range of personal issues such as diet and fitness, physical safety, visiting a health practitioner and using medications. However, people's health related behaviour is associated with their level of education and literacy skills.
Health literacy is the term used to describe the knowledge and skills needed to locate, understand and use information related to health. This includes information about health maintenance, disease prevention, drug use and accident prevention. A new report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics describes the distribution of health literacy among the Australian population aged 15-74 years.1
Health literacy is measured as a by-product of four objectively assessed literacy domains - prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy and problem solving. The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing provided funding for the calculation of the health literacy scale. Australians' health literacy was measured against a range of demographic and socio-economic indicators, including age, gender, education, parents' education, employment status, occupation, health status, social participation and area of residence.
For example, health literacy was found to increase up to age group 35 to 39, then generally decrease. Eighty three percent of people aged 65 to 74 years did not achieve the medium range (Level Three) of the five level health literacy scale. However, this decline may be associated with lower education levels in the older cohorts as well as ageing.
Links have been well established overseas between socioeconomic markers such as years of formal education and health and the new report confirmed this for Australians. Seventy percent of people with a Bachelor degree or above achieved Level Three or higher on the health literacy scale, compared with 50% of those whose highest level of education was Year 12. Educational attainment of parents showed a similar association with health literacy.
The results give valuable insight to the factors associated with different groups' skill and aptitude in accessing and understanding health information.
Available at: <www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/>
Reference
1 Health Literacy, Australia, 2006. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Latest ISSUE. Released 25/06/2008. Commonwealth of Australia.
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