The Role of Health Literacy When Analyzing Functional Health Status: A Look a the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy

Mathew, Merly. The Role of Health Literacy When Analyzing Functional Health Status: A Look at the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. Master of Public Health (Community Health), May 2007, 45 pp., 4 tables, bibliography, 36 titles. U.S. Adults with low health literacy have been found to have poor health status and poor knowledge of medical conditions when compared with those with adequate health literacy skills. This research focused on the relevance of the health literacy skills of U.S. adults age 50 and above, when analyzing their functional health status. Secondary data was obtained from public data files that are available from the NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) website. The research is organized as follows: introduction, review of literature, methodology, results, discussion and implications. The findings established a relationship between health literacy and functional health status, and confirmed the need to focus on creating a health literate America.