UCLA

In September 2007, the Canadian Council on Learning published Health Literacy in Canada: Initial results from the International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey.1 From this report we learned: 1) While Canadians have higher levels of health literacy than Americans, 60% of adults in Canada lack the capacity to obtain, understand and act upon health information and services and to make appropriate health decisions on their own; 2) Average health literacy varies significantly by province and territory and between different population sub-groups within Canada, especially among seniors. Canadian adults with less than a high-school education perform well below adults with higher levels of education and this gap widens with age; 3) Differences in literacy and numeracy skills exert a profound influence on a range of social, educational and economic outcomes. Differences in average health-literacy skill seem to be associated with large differences in perceived general health status. The analysis presented in A Healthy Understanding builds on the initial results presented in Health Literacy in Canada. An individual’s level of health literacy—which encompasses education level and ability to learn about health—is strongly connected to the health they enjoy. Simply put, good health-literacy skills can lead to good health, for the individual and for the population at large.