Combating Illiteracy

Thesis Statement

There is a high level of functional health illiteracy among the adults in the current society. It can be observed with high number of adults who are faced with chronic diseases and are not aware of the diseases or are unaware of the symptoms and treatments related top such kind of diseases. This paper will seek to uncover the reasons behind the high increase of illiteracy among the adults and to give recommendations on how to eradicate such discrepancy (Nutbeam, 2006). Majorly, it is focused on examining of patients who have chronic diseases and the intensity of their knowledge, i.e. their functional health literacy with the treatment levels available. Indeed, the paper will endeavor to provide data on the level of functional health literacy and its effect on adult heath status.

Introduction

Patients face challenges when seeking health services and information. Most of the challenges that a patient is likely to face are the “complexity of the health systems, the high increase and complexity of chronic diseases, the proliferation of available, and changing patient information and available sources” (Andreasen, 1995). It makes health literacy a new concept in the health sector. In every way, health literacy has become a new issue that is instrumental in the development and promotion of health standards in the society. This paper will identify the available health communication and education programs with their failings in ensuring a better and sufficient literacy in the health sector. The paper will also discover the available effective health literacy methods and provide better methods (Bernstein, 1988). Indeed, the paper promotes the role of health literacy through communication and education for the improvements in the wide health sector.

Outline

A number of educational programs and concepts has been developed in the past to guide and promote health education (Anderreason, 1995). These theories and concepts have managed to engage the health consumers in a number of trending issues in the market. The majorly endeavored to create a practical guidance and teaching on the trending health matters that affect them directly. Though, these educational programs, for some reason, are yet to bring adequate literacy among the adults (Freire, 1970). Hence, there is a need for renewed methods and programs to sell the ever changing health issues and define more disease information complexities (Whitehead, 1988).