The
Strategy

“The US Government, D.H.H.S., C.D.C. & the W.H.O. are focused on the Healthy People 2030 Initiative /Agenda 2030. With new definitions as of 2020, and a renewed effort to reduce health costs through MHEALTH (mobile health app) engagement, activities, programs and health literacy. Our plan is designed to include benefits for healthcare NOT COVERED by major medical or group health plans.

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Our mobile app enables employees to access healthcare, enhance health literacy, and provides wellcare programs for employees, which has a profound financial impact on businesses, healthcare costs, and the healthcare system as a whole.

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The definition of health literacy was updated in August 2020 with the release of the U.S. government’s Healthy People 2030 initiative. The update addresses personal health literacy and organizational health literacy and provides the following definitions:

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• Personal health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.

• Organizational health literacy is the degree to which organizations equitably enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.

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Why Is Health Literacy Important?

Using health literacy best practices can build trust and advance health equity. Trust is an important part of a person’s willingness to engage in care and behaviors that promote health. In 2023, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine published proceedings from three workshops in a series titled The Roles of Trust and Health Literacy in Achieving Health Equity. Panelists discussed the relationship between health literacy and trust in clinical settings, public health institutions, and community settings.

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The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy / DHHS

This National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy seeks to engage organizations, professionals, policymakers, communities, individuals, and families in a linked, multisector effort to improve health literacy. The plan is based on the principles that (1) everyone has the right to health information that helps them make informed decisions and (2) health services should be delivered in ways that are understandable and beneficial to health, longevity, and quality of life.

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Many of the strategies highlight actions that organizations or professions can take to further these goals. It will take everyone working together in a linked and coordinated manner to improve access to accurate and actionable health information and usable health services. By focusing on health literacy issues and working together, we can improve the accessibility, quality, and safety of health care; reduce costs; and improve the health and quality of life of millions of people in the United States.

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Because of the complexity of health literacy, there are no reliable and valid studies of its full impact on costs for health care services. The few published studies have focused on the costs generated by individuals identified as having “low” health literacy. For example, costs associated with medical errors may result from health literacy factors.

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Existing economic studies indicate that people with limited health literacy skills have higher medical costs and use an inefficient mix of services. One study estimates the cost of limited health literacy to the Nation’s economy to be between $106 and $236 billion U.S. dollars (USD) annually. When one accounts for the future costs that result from current actions (or lack of action), the real present-day cost of limited health literacy might be closer to $1.6–3.6 trillion USD. In addition, substantial indirect costs are likely associated with limited health literacy, such as more chronic illness and disability, lost wages, and a poorer quality of life.

 

Much more research is needed to make a definitive statement about the costs of limited health literacy. Additionally, recent research has focused on health literacy as one of the critical factors in health disparities. The greatest opportunities for reducing health disparities are in empowering individuals and changing the health system to meet their needs. We cannot expect people to adopt healthy behaviors and take the actions we champion without clear communication, supportive activities to build skills, and organizational changes to reduce the demands of our recommendations.

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Several studies have demonstrated that using targeted approaches to communication can improve self-management and related health outcomes among patients with limited health literacy. Targeted approaches are adapted to meet the needs of specific groups of people, such as patients with limited literacy skills.

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Insurers, educators, community leaders, government agencies, health insurers, healthcare providers, the media, and many other organizations and individuals all have a part to play in improving health literacy in our society.

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Making use of new technologies

Also key will be harnessing SDG 9, which includes a target on providing access to information and technology including the internet. The rapid expansion in access to new communications technology and use of social media offer new platforms for health literacy efforts (e.g. through mobile for health or ‘M-Health’ technologies). These can complement traditional platforms for health literacy, such as hospitals, health clinics, and schools, while harnessing the potential of using new settings: workplaces (health wellness programs/public-private partnerships), places of worship, and other community settings.

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Conclusion

Past assumptions that health promotion should be the responsibility of the health sector alone, or that health literacy should be confined to reading pamphlets or understanding labels, are long gone. With Agenda 2030, there is an opportunity to push for integration to ensure that health promotion cuts across sectors, and to show how it advances core objectives.

Source: https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/enhanced-wellbeing/ninth-global-conference/health-literacy

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