Health literacy

What is health literacy?

Individual health literacy is how people understand information about health and health care, and how they:

• apply that information to their lives
• use it to make decisions, and
• act on it

It includes everyone's knowledge, skills, and confidence. 

The health literacy environment is the way services are provided, and the things that make it easier or harder for people to access, understand and use information and services.

Download the Health Literacy Action Plan

What affects health literacy

Health literacy is not fixed. An individual's level of health literacy can vary over time, as people learn new information, skills and experiences.

Everyone's health literacy is influenced by many things, including:

• knowledge, motivation, skills, confidence, stress levels and supports in their life
• how well services support, communicate clearly, empower and understand them
• information shared about health in local communities, networks and friendship groups

Why is health literacy important?

Health literacy is important because the more we understand about our health and health care, the healthier we can be. Health literacy is a better predictor of health than education, socio-economic status, employment, racial background or gender. 

Tasmanians have a variety of health literacy strengths and challenges. People with the greatest health literacy challenges have poorer health outcomes. They may also need more help from services. 

When faced with health literacy challenges it is harder for people to:

• access health services – know who to see and when, fill in forms and share important information with workers
• care for themselves and manage their health
• understand their illnesses and injuries, treatment options, and the importance of healthy lifestyles
• remember and use information
• act early, like visiting a GP when symptoms begin.

What can we do about health literacy?

We all have a role to create health literate environments to make it easier for people to access, understand and use health information and services.

This includes how service providers communicate, deliver their service, and respond to people’s needs. We call this organisational health literacy.

To make things easier for people, service providers can:

• provide information that meets the needs of each person and check that they understand by using the teach-back tool
• provide information in different ways including written and spoken information, pictures, diagrams, models, audio-video demonstrations and group discussions
• using plain language
• have clear and helpful instructions and signage
• think about the physical design and layout of services
• provide welcoming and supportive telephone and reception services
• helping people to complete forms
• providing staff orientation and ongoing training

The health, community and education sectors can work together to improve the health and wellbeing of all Tasmanians.

To learn more about common health literacy challenges and ways to respond visit the fictional town of Wattle Hill.

View some useful resources:

• Tailoring information (Health Literacy Toolkit)
• Supporting spoken communication
• Use plain language
• Signage that makes sense
• Reception area that supports people with low health literacy

Find out more about the Health Literacy Workplace Toolkit

Contact us

If you have questions, want to give feedback or find out other ways to get involved please email [email protected]