Health Literacy Reports And Publications

Health literacy is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and making informed decisions about our health care. However, according to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, only 12% of Americans have proficient health literacy skills. Many adults may have difficulty completing routine health tasks like understanding a drug label or using a map to locate the closest health center.

The Surgeon General is committed to ensuring that Americans of all ages, races, incomes, and education levels have the resources they need to read, understand, and act on health information. Learn how the Surgeon General is addressing the public consequences of limited health literacy and how the public health community is taking action to ensure that health information and services can be understood and used by all Americans.