Health literacy: understanding and using health information

What health literacy means

Health literacy is the ability to find, understand, judge and use information and services to make good decisions about your health. It covers a range of everyday skills: reading and understanding a medicine label or appointment letter, following instructions, understanding numbers and risks, knowing where to get trustworthy information, and feeling confident to ask questions and speak up in a consultation. It is not a measure of intelligence or education. Research suggests that a large proportion of adults find some health information hard to understand, and this can happen to anyone, particularly when they are worried, unwell, tired or dealing with complex or technical material. Health systems and professionals share responsibility for making information clear, but understanding what health literacy is helps each of us recognise where we might need support and how to get the most from health information.

Why it matters for your health

Health literacy has a real impact on wellbeing. People who find it easier to understand and use health information tend to manage long-term conditions better, take medicines more accurately, attend screening and appointments, and know when and where to seek help. When health information is not understood, mistakes can happen — medicines taken incorrectly, advice misunderstood, warning signs missed, or opportunities for prevention lost — and people may feel less confident and more anxious about their health. Understanding risks and benefits also helps people take part in decisions about their own care, rather than feeling things are simply done to them. Because so many everyday health tasks depend on these skills, supporting health literacy is increasingly seen as an important part of keeping people well and reducing avoidable harm, and as a matter of fairness, since those who struggle most often have the greatest health needs.

Finding trustworthy information

With so much health information available, especially online, knowing which sources to trust is a core skill. In the UK, the NHS website is a reliable, plain-English starting point for information on conditions, treatments and services, and NHS 111 can help when you are unsure how urgently to seek care. Well-established charities focused on specific conditions, and your GP, pharmacist and other health professionals, are also trustworthy sources. When looking online, it helps to check who has produced the information and why, whether it is up to date, and whether it agrees with other reputable sources; be cautious of pages selling products, making dramatic claims, or relying only on personal stories. Social media can spread misleading health claims quickly, so it is wise to check anything striking against a trusted source before acting on it or sharing it.

Understanding and using information well

Understanding health information is easier with a few simple habits. Do not be afraid to ask for things to be explained again or in plainer words — a helpful approach is to ask three questions: what is my main problem, what do I need to do, and why is it important? It can help to take notes, bring someone with you to appointments, and repeat back what you have understood to check you have it right, sometimes called teach-back. Ask about numbers in ways that make sense to you, such as what a risk means in everyday terms. For medicines, make sure you know what each is for, how and when to take it, and what to watch for. Keeping a list of your conditions and medicines, and writing down questions before appointments, all make it easier to understand and act on advice.

Improving health literacy for everyone

Improving health literacy is a shared effort. As individuals, we can build our own skills by using trusted sources, asking questions, and taking time to understand advice, and we can help others — family members, older relatives or friends who find health information hard — by going with them to appointments or explaining things simply. Health professionals and services have a big part to play too, by using plain language, avoiding jargon, checking understanding, and providing clear written and visual information. Communities, schools, libraries and pharmacies can all support people to build confidence with health information. Because those who struggle most with health literacy often have the greatest health needs, improving it is also about fairness and reducing health inequalities. Small changes — clearer letters, plainer explanations, a willingness to ask and answer questions — add up to better, safer care for everyone.