Health Literacy

Health Literacy
Student’s Name
Institution
Health Literacy
An understanding of health information by members of the population is key to improving health outcomes. One of the main sources of healthcare information is the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) website. According to the website, there is a problem of health literacy in the U.S. because organizations and professionals have created health information that is difficult to understand (CDC, n.d.). This paper argues that health literacy is important for anyone that needs health information and anyone that provides health information. The essay also examines congenital syphilis as an important issue in maternal health.
Health literacy is vital for any individual who needs health information and services. As informed by the CDC (n.d.), health literacy can help one find the health information and services they require. Furthermore, the website informs that health literacy can help one communicate their health preferences and needs. In this sense, with health literacy, one will find it easy to inform healthcare professionals about their health needs. One can also find relevant information on the internet from websites such as CDC’s. Without health literacy skills, communicating one’s healthcare needs and finding the right health information and services can be difficult.
Another importance of health literacy is that it helps individuals process how meaningful and useful information and services are (CDC, n.d.). The proliferation of the internet today means that a wide range of information can easily be accessed by people. Through a simple inquiry on a search engine, one can get tons of information relating to a single health subject. With health literacy, an individual can decide which information is useful and which one is not. For example, a person with health literacy skills will understand that the information presented on the CDC website is useful as it is sourced from credible sources. In this sense, health literacy can help a person decide the meaningfulness and usefulness of health information and services. They can choose health information that is consistent with their preferences and needs.
Health literacy is also extremely important for professionals such as dentists, pharmacists, doctors, and nurses that provide healthcare information and services ...