Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Date of Graduation
5-9-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Department of Health Sciences
Advisor(s)
Theresa Enyeart Smith
Maria Wessel
Tracey L. Thomas
Jordan McCann
Abstract
Health literacy is defined as the knowledge and skills individuals need to acquire and understand related to health information and services in order to create the best health outcomes for themselves. Those with low health literacy struggle to successfully follow medical instructions, obtain and comprehend health information, and communicate health complications. Low health literacy is correlated with preventable negative health outcomes, such as sexually transmitted infections, obesity, diabetes, lung cancer, and heart disease, which are conditions experienced by a majority of the U.S. population. The most recent estimates suggest that over 75 million U.S. adults are health illiterate, which indicates the need to improve health education and promotion among the U.S. population. One way to improve health literacy is through existing systems of higher education. These institutions have the means to educate and provide students with health resources to contribute positively to the current health literacy status of the population. Although research exists on the health literacy levels of college students, there is a need for more information evaluating the overall health literacy knowledge and skills students have.
Recommended Citation
Grygo, Madelaine, "The health literacy knowledge and skills among undergraduate students" (2020). Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current. 37.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors202029/37
