Spiritual_Wellness_Holistic_Health_and_the_Practic

APPENDIX
C
HEALTH LITERACY: A
POSITION STATEMENT
OF THE AMERICAN
ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH
EDUCATION (AAHE)
ADOPTED 2008
H ealth literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process,
and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate
health decisions. 1 An estimated excess cost for the US healthcare system of 50 billion
to 73 billion dollars per year is attributable to low literacy. 2 In addition, low levels of
health literacy have been directly linked to increased hospitalization rates. 3 , 4
An estimated 90 million adults in the United States are unable to adequately comprehend
health information. 5 The Health Literacy of America ’ s Adults is the first release
of the results of a national assessment of adult health literacy. Health literacy was reported
using four performance levels: Below Basic, Basic, Intermediate, and Proficient. The