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Enhancing Health Literacy for Better Health Outcomes

This project aims to raise awareness on how basic skills impact health outcomes and identify ways for Public Health Wales to improve health literacy. It explores the link between health literacy and health outcomes, focusing on populations with lower health literacy levels. Strategies include developing skills-based approaches.

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Enhancing Health Literacy for Better Health Outcomes

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  1. Exploring Health Literacy as a Wider Health Determinant Hilary Nicholas Public Health Practitioner Conwy & Denbighshire Local Public Health Team

  2. Exploring Health Literacy as a Wider Health Determinant Aims Raise awareness of how levels of basic skills (literacy, language and numeracy) affect health outcomes; identify ways in which Public Health Wales can contribute to improving the health literacy of the population.

  3. What is Health Literacy? Everyone needs health literacy skills to: • manage their health on a day to day basis • make sound decisions in a health context • prevent and manage ill-health

  4. The link between Health Literacy and Health Outcomes People with poor levels of health literacy: • are less able to manage health on a day-to-day basis and adopt healthy lifestyles • may not get the health care they need. For example • missed appointments • poor uptake of screening and other preventive services • poor adherence to medicines and other treatment instructions • less able to manage long-term health conditions

  5. Who are we talking about? Research has shown that people with poorer levels of health literacy are more likely • to have basic skills needs • to be long-term unemployed • to have a long-term health condition • to be older • to be from a BME community • to use English as a second language

  6. Health literacy is dependent upon: individual factors: • Literacy and numeracy skills of lay people and professionals • Communication skills of lay people and professionals • Culture • Lay and professional knowledge of health topics the healthcare system: • Demands of the healthcare system • Demands of the healthcare situation / context

  7. What skills do we need in a health-related situation ? For example: • Calculating the salt or fat content in food… reading food labels, percentages • Measuring medications… understanding metric measures and timings • Describing symptoms to a doctor or nurse… explaining type of symptoms, severity and frequency • Choosing between two different treatment options… understanding risks and benefits, evaluating information, asking the right questions

  8. Basic skills levels related to a health setting 1 in 4 adults in Wales have literacy skills below Level 1 1 in 2 adults in Wales have numeracy skills below Level 1 (National Survey of Adult Basic Skills in Wales, 2004) This means that they can: • understand what they have been prescribed by a clinician but not the importance of compliance or be able to clarify what they have been told • measure height and weight but not describe and calculate their own weight loss.

  9. What can be done to improve health literacy ? Develop and promote practical strategies to address health literacy within health and social care settings. Develop a ‘skills-based’ approach to improving health literacy in the community. Raise awareness of health literacy and build partnerships to promote health literacy.

  10. Raise awareness of health literacyandbuild partnerships to promote health literacy All health-related agencies have a key role • Public Health Wales • Basic skills / Adult Education providers • Health Service providers • Local Authorities • Community agencies • Third sector • Employment and training agencies

  11. Develop and promote practical strategies to address health literacy within health and social care settings For example • Improve the usability of health information • Improve the usability of health services • Improve access to health information • Advocate for health literacy

  12. Develop a ‘skills-based’ approach to improving health literacy in the community Why take this approach? • It focuses on health and well-being and the skills needed to manage health • It takes the focus away from literacy and numeracy • It draws on the knowledge and skills of adult educators • It draws on the knowledge and skills of health professionals • It builds on work already happening

  13. Skilled for Health • integrates health and adult learning • is a product of investment and commitment at the highest level in England • is supported by a strong partnership between key organisations: Department of Health Department for Business Innovation and Skills ContinYou Learning and Skills Improvement Service • provides free resource packs for community learning programmes • has been fully evaluated after two phases.

  14. How can this issue be taken forward by Public Health Wales? • Influence decision makers at the highest level • Identify health literacy ‘champions’ within both the health and adult education sectors at national and regional level • Raise awareness within existing local partnerships e.g. Local Service Boards, HSCWB strategic groups, PHW Boards, LHB Boards • Identify existing and new opportunities to develop skills-based learning for health and well-being

  15. Thank you

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