Hl Positive Influence

Research documents the positive influence HL has in maintaining and promoting health and preventing disease/illness. Information garnered over the last ten years supports the hypothesis that HL plays a major role in a person’s ability to retrieve, decipher, and make appropriate use of health care information. Studies prove that certain groups in the population are more likely to have lower levels of HL. These groups include individuals not of Caucasian descent, minorities, elderly persons, people with lower levels of education, individuals who do not speak English, persons with limited monetary means, and patients who are unable to communicate effectively with their health care providers. HL has an even greater impact on persons who engage in hazardous behaviors such as smoking, sexual promiscuity, and drug abuse. These individuals often have higher levels of illness, can have trouble communicating effectively with health care providers, and may be less likely to have insurance coverage. Ensuring that every member of the population has the
Curriculums that effectively teach individuals how to monitor and control their own behavior can be accomplished by implementing The Health Belief Model and Social Cognitive Theory. Additionally, when developing any education program one should be cognizant of the different ways individuals learn (auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and reading/writing). These learning styles must be implemented into the HL curriculum, thereby fostering the greatest degree of learning. Those health care students who participate in an education program that teaches HL can drastically improve health throughout the entire health care arena, thereby positively impacting the health of an entire