Why Measure Health Literacy Skills?

Why Measure Health Literacy Skills?

Assessing people’s health literacy skills can be a critical step when designing a research project or choosing an effective intervention. The ability to create or choose oral, written, or graphic health messages that match your audience’s understanding comes from knowing about their health literacy skills. Better understanding of health materials can lead to informed decision making and potential changes in health behavior. The “Measures of People's Skills and Experiences” section of CDC’s Health Literacy website offers links to tools and research that explain options for measuring health literacy skills. The Health Literacy Tool Shed is a new online database that contains information about measures, including their psychometric properties, based on a review of the peer-reviewed literature. The project was sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Get more information about this tool and others by visiting our Measures of People's Skills and Experiences webpage