International handbook of health literacy

Abstract

As the title suggests, the International Handbook of Health Literacy is an exhaustive text serving both as an educational read for health professionals and as a road map for anyone engaging in health literacy research. Health literacy is essentially about citizens’ ability to access, understand, and use information about health care. Beginning its journey with the origins of the term “health literacy” in the 1973 Conference on Health Education in upstate New York, the Handbook explores current research, targeted interventions, policy programmes, and predictions for the future written by an international consortium of experts.