Health Literacy and Health Education: Research and Practical Applications
 – Kerry J. Redican
Helen Osbourne states in her book, Health Literacy from A to Z, that health literacy is about communicating health information in ways others can understand. It has three central components: communication skills of the person expressing a message; learning needs of each person. This statement underscores The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s statement that health literacy is important in both personal and organizational contexts and accomplished through: (1) emphasizing people’s ability to use health information rather than just understand it; (2) focusing on the ability to make “well-informed” decisions rather than “appropriate” ones; (3) incorporating a public health perspective; and (4) acknowledge that organizations have a responsibility to address health literacy. These statements provide a good context for examining the relationship between health literacy and health education.