Health Literacy

Course Description

Examine health literacy crisis in the United States and around the world,the issues and challenges of low health literacy, and populations at risk for low literacy. Address effective strategies to meet the challenges of low health literacy and of cultural and linguistically diverse populations.

Learning Outcomes

• Examine factors that affect health literacy.
• Explain the educational and public health impact of low health literacy on health knowledge, learning, behaviors and outcomes.
• Identify populations at risk for low health literacy.
• Discuss the barriers faced and skills required of populations with low health literacy.
• Analyze the role of mass media and the Internet in health literacy.
• Evaluate the efficacy of various health materials and programs focused on developing health literacy.
• Identify principles of learning and teaching and pedagogical strategies to address and advance health literacy for culturally and linguistically diverse learners and families.
• Develop an action plan to increase health literacy in a health standards content area.

Requirements

Complete readings and participate in classroom or chat room discussions. Develop a written health literacy intervention teaching plan that could be used with a group of adolescents. Visual and technology presentation of the teaching plan. Develop a written research paper on health literacy programs and curriculum. In class analysis of case studies.