Reading your way to better health ONT Edition

• Published in: Toronto star
• Main Author: Romanow, Roy J
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Toronto, Ont Torstar Syndication Services, a Division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited 06.03.2008
• ISSN: 0319-0781

What is the difference between standard literacy and health literacy? Simply defined, health literacy means an individual's ability to access, understand and use information related to their health or the health of their family. These skills go beyond the ability to read and comprehend prose - health literacy also encompasses numeracy and document literacy. By 2016, the number of Canadians with diabetes is expected to rise to 2.4 million, costing our health-care system more than $8 billion annually. While genetics is a key factor among others, diabetes is a disease that is highly influenced by individual behaviour. The ability of people to self-manage their diabetes treatment can influence their quality of life, longevity and the risk of complications. Improved health literacy can contribute to the prevention and management of diabetes as it plays a role in modifying behaviour and communicating core knowledge. Of course, doing something about improving our overall level of literacy in Canada - and by extension health literacy - won't prevent or cure all of our ailments. But by raising awareness of our low levels of health literacy, CCL's report strikes a note of alarm for the health community, underlining the importance of improving accessibility to written materials provided to patients and exploring effective ways of using video and visual materials to communicate information. Such efforts are particularly important for seniors and for Canadians whose first language is neither English nor French.