Single Mothers and Why Health Literacy Is Important

Many reasons exist that affect the health decisions that individuals make. Some people are driven by personal factors such as beliefs, values, or life experiences while external issues influence others. Income levels, social background, educational system, culture, and health system are some of the external factors that influence health promotion. Literacy is categorized as a special factor because it is the source of information needed to make such health decisions. When people have access to the right information, they are able to seek better health options. Without literacy, this information is obsolete because they cannot understand or appraise it for suitable health decisions. This culminates into poor health outcomes and high mortality rates. It is easy to highlight that health literacy plays a vital role in the health outcomes after working as a child health worker in an urban low socioeconomic region. Child health is affected because their mothers are single parents with meager incomes and their literacy levels are low. They tend to misinterpret the health information leading to poor health decisions for their children. This paper evaluates the significance of health literacy in promoting health issues in the society.

In order for treatment to be effective, individuals must possess the ability to understand and decipher healthcare information. This will enable them to make important decisions concerning their mode of treatment and follow the instructions keenly. It is the duty of the health care providers to ensure that their clients understand the information availed about their health. Research has shown that 50% of all patients suffer from health illiteracy and this has been the leading cause of medical error and ineffective treatment (DeWalt et al., 2004). Health disparities have also occurred because of regional disparities in education since the patients have little or no knowledge of basic health matters (Nutbeam, 2000). Health literacy may be