The World Health Organization defines health literacy (HL) as
representing “the cognitive and social skills which determine the
motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and
use information in ways which promote and maintain good health”
[1-3]. Poor HL is associated with less healthy choices, riskier behavior,
poorer health, less self-management and more hospitalization [2]. A
2011 European Union (EU) survey of HL found that a substantial
component (38.8%) of Irish adults had “limited” HL which was similar
to findings in other EU countries [1]. This survey also found that there
was much greater variation in HL scores as people aged and a tendency
in general for HL scores to diminish somewhat with age.
Currently, 11.6% of Ireland’s population is over 65 years [4] and this
is set to rise to 21% by 2046 [5]. As this population change occurs and
more people with chronic conditions live longer, greater numbers of
older people will be attempting to navigate healthcare information and
services on a regular basis. In this context, it is important to begin to
examine the issues older people in particular face with HL. This will
help identify steps which may facilitate older people improving HL and
ways in which healthcare information can be made more accessible for
this population. Improvements in HL have been shown to improve
overall health management including treatment/medication
compliance, more confidence and self-reliance in patients, more