Health Literacy: Do You Get A Passing Grade?
March 28, 2021
When your doctor starts talking about things like A1C and triglycerides, do you really understand what they’re talking about? Learn how your ability to understand health information can help you stay well.
How's your health literacy? If you aren't sure exactly what that term means, you're not alone. According to the most basic definition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health literacy describes your ability to find and understand information about your personal health concerns. It also includes your ability to make decisions about your health based on trustworthy information.
Unfortunately, many U.S. adults struggle to read and evaluate health information, which increases their risk of poor health outcomes. The Center for Health Care Strategies reports that about 36 percent of Americans have low health literacy, many of whom live in poverty, are non-native English speakers, have limited education, or are older than 65. Even more adults have limited health literacy or a less-than-optimal ability to digest medical information.
Even if you feel confident about your ability to communicate with your doctor, follow medical instructions correctly, and take the steps you need to advocate for your health, boosting your health literacy can still have a positive impact on your wellness level.
Start your health literacy improvement plan
You have a busy life, and health literacy is probably far from first on your list of concerns. If you tend to struggle in this area, though, making some small changes can potentially have a long-term effect on your well-being. For example, the nonprofit organization Breastcancer.org reports that people who have poor health literacy are more likely to also have poor health and spend time in the hospital. Conversely, research associates good health literacy with:
Finding health care providers who fit your needs
Understanding your insurance coverage
Choosing treatments that make sense for your health concerns
Communicating effectively with your doctor about your health concerns
Health literacy gives you the power to seek prompt and appropriate treatment for both acute and chronic illnesses that threaten your well-being. Take these steps to increase your knowledge of the terms and concepts you need to make the most of your medical care.
Know your numbers
Medical screenings often provide results in numbers, which is confusing when you don't know what they mean. Understanding these digits can unlock your ability to lower your risk for chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Blood pressure
Let's start with blood pressure. Your health care provider will deliver this number in two parts (120/80, for example). The first number, systolic blood pressure, measures the pressure against the walls of your arteries when your heart beats. The second number, diastolic pressure, indicates the pressure against the artery walls between each heartbeat.
According to the American Heart Association, your blood pressure should be below 120/80 for maximum health. If you consistently have systolic pressure above 130 or diastolic pressure above 80, you could be at risk for health problems caused by hypertension. Left untreated, high blood pressure can result in life-threatening cardiovascular issues such as heart attack and stroke.
Cholesterol
Your cholesterol level also reveals important details about your heart health. Consuming too much of this substance in meat and dairy products increases your risk for coronary artery disease.
It gets a bit more complicated when we get into different types of cholesterol. Doctors distinguish between HDL, or "good" cholesterol, which helps remove buildup from the arteries; LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, which leads to blood vessel blockage; and triglycerides, another type of blood fat.
According to the National Library of Medicine, adults ages 20 and older should aim for:
LDL of less than 100 mg/dL
HDL of at least 40 mg/dL for men and 50 mg/dL for women
Total cholesterol of 125 to 200 mg/dL
Triglycerides of less than 150 mg/dL
Most healthy adults should have a cholesterol screening every five years, but adults older than 45 or with other risk factors should be screened annually. You have a higher risk for elevated cholesterol if you have type 2 diabetes, are obese, eat a high-fat diet, smoke, lead a sedentary lifestyle with limited physical activity, or have a family history of high cholesterol. Adults ages 55 and older are also more likely to develop this health issue.
Blood glucose
The hemoglobin A1C test measures your blood glucose, which is valuable information used to diagnose and manage type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Your doctor may recommend an annual A1C blood test if you have prediabetes or risk factors for diabetes, such as being overweight or obese, having a close family member with diabetes, exercising less than three times a week, being 45 or older, or having a history of gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
Here's what you need to know when reading your A1C results:
Normal blood glucose – 5.7 percent or lower
Prediabetes – 5.7 to 6.4 percent
Diabetes – at least 6.5 percent on two different tests
If you have high blood glucose, your health care provider will work with you to manage your blood sugar and prevent diabetes complications. Without treatment, elevated blood glucose can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and other organs.
Taken together, these screenings paint a vivid picture of your risk for chronic illness. Even if you do not have current risk factors, a biomarker blood test can help you understand steps you can take to stay healthy. This type of screening provides insight into your cholesterol and blood glucose levels as well as your diet with a nutritional analysis that detects imbalances and vitamin deficiencies.
Review your health care coverage
Now that you know your important medical numbers, you may want to make appointments with primary or specialty care doctors about areas of concern. Before you start, make sure you understand the type of health insurance coverage you have and how it works. The complicated billing process can result in costly, unexpected bills. As a result, many people don't get the health care they need because they worry about how to pay for it.
Familiarize yourself with these common health insurance terms and concepts:
Preventive care, which is free in the U.S., includes check-ups, vaccines, and many recommended health screenings.
Your premium is the amount you pay each month for health care coverage, either directly to the insurance company or as a withdrawal from your paycheck for an employer-sponsored plan.
The copayment is the cost you share with the insurance company for each appointment or visit.
The deductible is the annual amount you have to spend on healthcare before your insurance coverage takes over.
A health savings account, or HSA, allows tax-free withdrawals for qualifying medical expenses.
You should also know the difference between the different types of health plans. With an HMO, you must see specific doctors within your network to receive coverage. With a PPO plan, you can see any doctor but save money with an in-network provider. A POS plan requires you to choose a primary provider and get referrals for specialty care. Call your insurance agent or HR department if you have questions about your coverage and how it works.
Understand your body composition
When you hear “body composition,” your brain likely goes right to body mass index (BMI). Health care providers commonly use this comparison of your weight to your height to indicate whether you are at a healthy weight, overweight, or obese. However, BMI does not distinguish between the weight of fat, bone mass, and muscle mass, so it provides limited information about the composition of your body.
By contrast, your body fat percentage offers information about your associated risk for chronic illness and opens the door for ideal weight optimization based on your physical makeup. The chart below breaks down the numbers for men and women.
Having a high percentage of body fat increases the risk for countless chronic illnesses, including but not limited to high blood pressure, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, kidney and liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and coronary artery disease.
Tracking your body composition and body composition over time can also help you meet your fitness goals. A DEXA body scan provides concrete numbers for bone mass, body fat, and lean muscle mass so you can visualize progress with periodic scans to improve weight optimization. This precise, FDA-approved screening also calculates visceral fat, which covers the abdominal organs and carries a significantly elevated risk of chronic illness and associated mortality.
Communicate with your doctor
Good health literacy goes beyond lists of vocabulary words and columns of numbers. You also need to foster open, honest communication with your doctor. This trusting relationship can improve your health and provide support when you have concerns about wellness and prevention. Try these strategies from the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins:
Write a list of concerns in order of priority. Cover the most important items first when you see your doctor.
Ask questions about information you don't understand. Repeat what your doctor says back to them to make sure you are comprehending correctly.
Bring a close family member or friend if you have concerns about communicating with your doctor. They can help make sure you understand everything during the visit.
Take notes during the appointment and ask for a copy of your medical records. Keep these items in a folder and bring them to each health care visit.
Be honest with your doctor, even about sensitive topics. They can't help you get better without all the facts.
Are you ready to learn more about your body, your disease risk, your fitness level, and your overall health? Fitnescity is a great source for in-person body composition testing and at-home blood panels.
Contact Fitnescity today to learn more about the importance of health literacy, explore our available screenings— including DEXA and Bod Pod—and find a location in your area.
References:
https://www.chcs.org/media/CHCS_Health_Literacy_Fact_Sheets_2013_1.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/learn/index.html
https://www.breastcancer.org/tips/health-literacy
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings
https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/ideal-body-fat-percentage
