The Implications of Health Literacy for Customer-Centered Health Communication and Marketing Cynthia Baur, Ph.D. National Center for Health Marketing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Q and A Question: How do we ensure people of all skill levels can use the health information we provide? Answer: Customer-centered health communication and marketing Why: customer-centricity –Meets people where they are –Gives them what they want and need

Health Marketing at CDC Health Marketing involves creating, communicating, and delivering health information and interventions using customer-centered and science-based strategies to protect and promote the health of diverse populations

What is Health Literacy? Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.

Factors that affect health literacy Health literacy is dependent on both individual and systemic factors –Communication skills of lay people and professionals –Knowledge of lay people and professionals of health topics –Culture –Demands of the healthcare and public health systems –Demands of the situation/context

Who is at risk? The problem of limited health literacy is greater among: –Older adults –Those who are poor –People with limited education –Minority populations –Persons with limited English proficiency (LEP)

Why is health literacy important? Information matters to informed decision-making –Health professionals’ ability to have accurate, unbiased information they can explain to their patients and communities –Public health professionals’ ability to provide clear recommendations that people can act on –Patients’ and consumers’ ability to Navigate the healthcare system, including locating providers and services and filling out forms Share personal and health information with providers Seek out health information for self-care and chronic disease management Adopt health-promoting behaviors, such as exercising and eating a healthy diet Act on health-related news and announcements

NAAL: Sources of health information Percentage of adults with Below Basic or Basic health literacy who get little or no health information from the following sources: SourceBelow BasicBasic Internet85%70% Magazines64%47% Books or Brochures62%45% Newspapers59%51% Family or Friends47%40% Healthcare Providers35%30% Radio or TV33%29% Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute for Education Sciences

The Bottom Line Only 12 percent of adults have Proficient health literacy. In other words, nearly 9 out of 10 adults may lack the skills needed to manage their health and prevent disease. Although everyone gets some health information from print sources, those with lowest health literacy skills least likely to use print materials.

Challenges related to communication Healthcare providers often unprepared to engage in dialogue and shared decision making Providers are uncomfortable or lack the knowledge to discuss some health concerns A lot of everyday health information is unusable for persons with limited literacy

Challenges, cont. Cross-cultural gaps between professionals and customers Central role of print information as the preferred format

Opportunity 1: Know the Customer Some relevant factors –Demographics –Behavior –Culture –Attitude –Literacy skills –Language –Socioeconomic status –Access to services

Opportunity 2: Create the Right Product Does the health information meet the customer’s requirements? –Friendly –Engaging –Helpful –Interesting –Reliable –Easy to understand

Opportunity 2: Improve Distribution Use data to decide which channel(s) and format are most appropriate Make Web sites more usable Apply user-centered design principles and conduct usability tests. Include interactive features and personalized content. Organize information to minimize scrolling. Use uniform navigation.

Opportunity 3: Develop Partnerships Educators and health professionals can –Design and disseminate health information to support health education standards. –Co-design education lessons on health topics Adult education students are interested in health topics Lessons can use health forms, text and graphics –Collaborate on participatory research

Who is Responsible for Improving Health Literacy? We all are. Educators and health professionals share an interest in all people having the necessary health literacy skills to realize their goals.