Health Literacy

What is health literacy?

Health literacy means how well someone can understand and use health information to look after themselves.

People with low health literacy usually find it hard to:

read and make sense of health leaflets/websites
know what to do with the advice
work out when and where to get medical help

Research shows that:

Over 40% of adults struggle with normal health information
Over 60% struggle when numbers or statistics are involved

Why health literacy is important?

Low health literacy is linked to:

worse overall health & unhealthy habits
missing vaccinations & health checks
taking medicines incorrectly
more emergency visits & hospital stays
shorter life expectancy

It is estimated that health literacy-related problems like these account for up to 5% of national health spending.

Low health literacy is common, often unintentional, and hits harder in poorer communities. Making health information easier to understand is both a health and a fairness issue.

The Regional Health Literacy Forum (RHLF)

This Forum has been brought together again to work on health literacy awareness and to lead the way forward for health literacy within Northern Ireland.

Click here to view our member organisations

Belfast Healthy Cities Belfast Healthy Cities – A World Health Organisation

Belfast Trust Belfast Health & Social Care Trust website

Community Development & Health Network Community Development and Health Network |

Department of Health Home | Department of Health

Developing Healthy Cities Developing Healthy Communities

Northern Ireland Ambulance Service NIAS | NIAS

Northern Trust Home – Northern Health and Social Care Trust

Public Health Agency Welcome | HSC Public Health Agency

South Eastern Trust Home – South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust

Southern Trust Southern Health & Social Care Trust

Strategic Planning and Performance Group Home – DOH/HSCNI Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG)