“Patients with inadequate literacy have less health-related knowledge, receive less preventive care, have poorer control of their chronic illnesses, and are hospitalized more frequently than other patients,” write Darren DeWalt and Michael Pignone (2005, p. 463).
THE RESEARCH IS CLEAR
Reading has a broad, powerful impact on physical and mental health.
PHYSICAL HEALTH When discussing the life-saving effects of literacy on physical health, it is important to explore research that distinguishes between educational attainment and literacy rates. While there is a body of research showing the correlation between educational attainment and health, data specifically related to literacy are less common. A 2006 study at two primary-care clinics associated with San Francisco General Hospital offers promising and powerful data points (Schillinger et al., 2006). Adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, who graduated high school, had statistically improved glycemic control compared to those who had not graduated, but literacy mediated the association between educational achievement and glycemic control. That is, if patients exhibited high levels of reading skills, they were more likely to have improved glycemic control, whether or not they graduated from high school . In distinguishing between education and literacy, this study highlights the specific importance of reading skills in health outcomes. In recent years, it has become more and more clear that literacy and physical health are reliably interconnected. Numerous studies have shown that lower literacy rates are associated with poor physical-health outcomes: when controlling for demographic and socioeconomic factors, individuals with lower literacy rates are less likely to receive regular preventative healthcare measures such as Pap smears, mammograms, and influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations (Bennett et al., 2009; DeWalt et al., 2004; Fortenberry et al., 2001; Scott et al., 2002).
READING FOR LIFE: THE IMPACT OF YOUTH LITERACY ON HEALTH OUTCOMES 6
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