Health literacy (HL) plays a big role in helping people make informed health decisions. This information was presented 40 Years ago by my colleague Larry Robinson, MD. If you can’t read, it impacts how well you do in the health care system, adults or children. Low health literacy can directly affect outcomes, like not taking medications properly, and indirectly through things like poor diets leading to obesity. The impact of literacy. be applied to Black Americans with any chronic disease. We are not going to change this situation any time soon. But it “cries out for many Black Americans who enter the health care system to find someone who can read and understand the system as an advocate.
