Using Health Literacy to Improve My Family's Health

Health literacy is when:

• My family can find and understand health information.
• My family uses health information to support our health.
• My family reflects on and evaluates our health experiences.
• My family shares accurate information and new learning with family, friends, and neighbors.
• My family gives feedback on health experiences and welcomes suggestions.

You are an expert on your family’s health. Health includes physical health, mental health, and safety.

Health literacy means you can find, understand, and use health information to make decisions. Many people can help you learn about health literacy, including early childhood program staff. You can talk with staff at your program about your health concerns and goals for your family’s health.

What It Means to Be Health Literate

Use these ideas to help your family be as healthy as possible.

My family can find and understand health information.

Health literacy starts with reading and understanding information about health and safety. You want to have sources you can rely on for health information. People and resources that you trust can help you when you run into challenges.

My family uses health information to support our health.

Health literacy helps you identify your child’s health needs and create a plan to support your child’s health.

Begin by talking with your health care provider to get more information. You can tell them when you do not understand something and ask for more information when you need it. You may want to bring someone you trust to help you when you talk to health care providers.

Think about your health practices, traditions, and the experiences of your family and community. Use the information from your health care providers and early childhood program to help you meet your family’s health goals.

My family reflects on and evaluates our health experiences.

It is helpful to think about your health experiences and what you learn before, during, and after each visit. For example:

Before a Visit

• Think about what your goals are.
• Think about what you want to ask.

During a Visit

• Write down what you learn.

After a Visit

• Review information.
• Think about what you need to do next.
• Decide how you will use what you have learned.

Use what you learn to best meet your family’s needs.

My family shares accurate information and new learning with family, friends, and neighbors.

As you learn about your health, you may want to help other people learn more too. Health literacy skills can help you share the information with other people.

My family gives feedback on health experiences and welcomes suggestions.

Talking about your health experiences, practices, and cultural traditions helps your health care providers improve their services. It is also important to be comfortable hearing feedback from them. Giving and getting feedback will help you manage your family’s health.

How to Find Health Information You Can Trust

Tips for learning more about websites:

• Look for an “About Us” page. This tells you who the owner is and why they created the website.
• Check the bottom of the page to find contact information and the date of the information.
• Before you share your personal information: Informational websites do not need your personal health information. Find out how they will use it before you share.

There is a lot of online health information! You can find wellness tips and information about symptoms and diseases. You can use this information to make health care decisions for your family.

It is important to find information that is true. Here are questions to help you decide if you can trust the information:

• Who owns the website?
• Are they giving information, or trying to sell a product or service?
• Where does the information come from?
• Does the website say when it updated the information? Is the date recent?
• Is contact information available?
• Does the site ask for your personal information?
• Does it tell you how it will use your personal information?
• Are you comfortable with how it will use your information?

Websites that you can trust for health information:

• MyHealthfinder has information to help your family stay healthy.
• MedlinePlus has high-quality health information that is easy to understand. It is in English and Spanish.
• Healthcare.gov has information about Medicare and Medicaid insurance.

The website address can help you know who owns the site. For example:

• .gov is the U.S. government.
• .edu is a school, college, or university.
• .org is a nonprofit.
• .com is a business.

How to Search for Health Information Online

Many people find information by typing in a word or phrase. You get many results this way. In fact, you might get too many results. Here are ways to get results that are more specific.

Tips for Finding Health Information

• Search for several of your symptoms at the same time.
• Use the full name of the disease.
• Use a specific gender and age.

Looking at Search Results

• Look at more than just the top two or three results. The top results often pay to be at the top.
• If you don’t find what you want, try again. Use different words in the search box.

How to Make the Most of a Health Care Visit

Follow these steps before, during, and after any health care visit to get the care you need.

Before

• List your questions and concerns.
• Take information with you, like your health history, a list of your medicines, and your symptoms.
• Think about asking a family member or friend to go with you for support.
• Ask for an interpreter if you need one.
• Get ready to discuss:
  • Health History: The provider will ask about health problems you have now or have had in the past. You might fill out a health history form. The form might have questions about your family history of related health conditions.
  • Medications: Write a list of medications you use each day. Give this list to the provider or take the medication with you.
  • Symptoms: Practice describing your symptoms. Write them down before your visit.

During

• Be sure you can see and hear your provider as well as possible.
• Take notes and ask questions.
• Be sure you understand the answers to these questions before you leave your appointment:
  • What is my main problem?
  • What do I need to do?
  • Why is it important for me to do this?

After

• Think about what happened during the appointment.
• Find out what your next steps are.
• Make and keep follow-up appointments.
• Ask for your test results.
• Call the provider if you have questions or concerns or are not feeling better.

How to Share Health Information with Others

As you learn about your physical and mental health, you might want to tell family and friends about your experience. Health literacy skills help you share this information. For example:

Ask for permission to share information. 

Some ways to start:

• “I learned this from my Head Start program. May I share it with you?”
• “I had this experience. May I share it with you?”

Share information. 

You can talk about what you learned, or you can write it down:

• “Here is what I learned.”
• “My health care provider told me ….”

Be ready for questions. 

After you share health information, you might get questions. You can say:

• “What questions do you have?”
• “Here are some recommended places to get more information.”

How to Give and Get Feedback

The health care provider might ask you for feedback about your family’s health experience. You could think about giving feedback to help them improve their services.

Here are four ways to give helpful feedback:

• Start with a clear goal. Decide what you want them to know.
• Share specific examples and ideas. Tell a story about your experience.
• Give positive and negative feedback. Tell them about things that went well and things you would like to see be done differently.
• Be open to new ideas. After you give your suggestions, the provider might have feedback for you too. Think about what you hear from the provider.

Here is an example of how this could work! You visit a provider, and the provider calls you by your first name. It is your cultural preference to be formally greeted by your last name.

• Start with a clear goal: “I prefer not to be called by my first name, and I would like to share this with my provider.”
• Share specific examples and ideas: Talk about a specific time. “When staff from the front desk welcomed me to the office today, they called me Stephanie.”
• Give positive and negative feedback: Share your experience with the provider. “I appreciate the warm greeting and smile from the front desk staff when I arrive. But I prefer to be called Mrs. Smith.”
• Be open to new ideas: Be ready for the provider to answer you. They might say, “I appreciate your bringing this to our attention. We will note this in your chart. As you fill out future paperwork, please note your preferred name is Mrs. Smith so we can honor this request.”

Last Updated: December 23, 2024