|
|
 |
| By Andréa
Ventimiglia Producer: Michelle Collins |
Fifty-five per cent of adults and 88 per cent of seniors do not have adequate literacy skills to make informed decisions about their own health, according to a new report on literacy in Canada from the Canadian Council on Learning. "You are exposed to health information in many different contexts," says Irving Rootman, a professor of health research at the University of Victoria. "When you go to see your doctor or pharmacist, when you watch television and see medical ads, when you're buying food and reading nutrition labels, health literacy has to do with people's ability to make sense of that information." Rootman thinks the statistics are an indicator of the complexity often found in health instructions and reflect the fact literacy levels decline with age. He thinks health providers should write materials such as brochures, safety instructions, and medical pamphlets in clear language that everyone can understand. Literacy in Canada faces an uphill battle Working with the not-for-profit Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA), and the federally funded National Literacy Secretariat (NLS), Rootman is co-chairing an expert panel on health literacy. The committee brings together health practitioners, researchers and educators to communicate the issue to the medical community and raise it on the political agenda.
But the panel is facing an uphill battle as the NLS lost a quarter of its operating budget in September when the Conservative government cut $17.7 million in funding from adult learning and literacy groups. "The federal government has cut back and has failed to fund a number of the coalitions to improve general literacy, let alone health literacy. I'm not too impressed with what they have been doing in this area," Rootman says. The Public Health Agency of Canada notes that people with low literacy have higher rates of hospitalization and experience more difficulties using the health care system. Currently PHAC supports a project to examine determinants of health and spokesperson Jean Riverin says the "first priority issue" is to develop goals towards health literacy but no timeline has been specified. Investing in literacy Nonetheless, CPHA employee, Helen Simson, who is working with Rootman on the health literacy expert panel, is optimistic.
"If we can demonstrate that investing dollars in literacy will certainly save dollars in health care, we think that is what will grab the attention of the policy makers." She says the committee will be looking at ways to make health information more understandable to groups like seniors or immigrants. In the near future, this will include creating informative DVDs that will play in the pharmacy or doctor's office, so people can see and hear the medical information in addition to consulting provided reading material. Simpson also says that improving health literacy among Canadians must involve not only government but educators, and medical practitioners. No one is immune Canadian Council on Learning research analyst Erin Mills, who worked on the adult learning section of the report, agrees.
She thinks that the responsibility falls on everyone because literacy is an issue that cuts across all socio-economic levels, ethnicities and ages. "People can say, 'oh, I don't have the time, I don't have the money, governments aren't investing enough, the education system isn't doing enough, my family's not doing enough,' but really I think it comes down to fact that everyone has a role to play," she says. This may include health providers working towards better communication with patients and plainer language being used in reading material. The CCL report also suggests that to improve health literacy, clear national targets and timelines must be established for literacy in general. And because reading skills decrease with age, continued learning is key to improving health literacy among seniors. Mills points to countries like Sweden and Ireland, which boast higher health literacy rates than Canada because they have launched national programs to improve adult literacy and address life-long learning. "Educated people have a better quality of life and use the health
care system less frequently," Mills says. "They are able to
make informed decisions about their own health and that's really important.
It's critical so there's less reliance on the healthcare system and
that's a really good thing."
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Human Resources and Social Development Canada: 
