Advancing Health Literacy: A Framework for Understanding and Action

This book examines the critical role of literacy in public health in the United States and around the world, and outlines a practical model that attempts to bridge the gap between health education, health promotion, and health communication.

The authors outline the theory and practice of health literacy from a public health perspective. The book includes the history of health literacy, theoretical foundations of health and language literacy, the role of the media, a series of case studies on topics including prenatal care, anthrax, HIV/AIDS, genomics, and diabetes. It concludes with a series of guidelines for the development and assessment of health communication materials. Also included are essential techniques needed to help people make informed decisions, advocate for themselves and their community, mitigate risk, and live healthier lives.

The book is divided into four sections: Modeling Health Literacy (four chapters), Case Studies (six chapters), and Guidelines on Developing Health Materials and Evaluating Health Programmes.

Click here to order this book online.

Click here to access a syllabus developed by one of the authors, Andrew Pleasant, for a course titled "Health Literacy: Empowerment for Better Health" which outlines the use of this book in teaching a course on health literacy and provides additional related links and information about this topic.