Health Literacy

Health Literacy is about our knowledge, skills, understanding and confidence to be able to use health and care information and services to make good health decisions.

Having good health literacy is key to helping us manage our own health as it helps us to make good health choices and good health choices can help us to stay healthier for longer.  It also allows us to make best use of our health and care information and services.

Health messages can be complicated.  Always ask if you are unsure or are finding it hard to understand.  Some useful questions you might like to ask are:

• What is my main problem?
• What do I need to do?
• Why is it important that I do this?

Understanding the answers to these three questions is a good way to improve your own health literacy.  Over time you can build on this to learn and understand more about your specific health needs and choices.