NHS England have worked with the University of Southampton to develop an online health literacy geodata tool. By allowing health economists, commissioners and planners to see the levels of health literacy in their area means they are better equipped to tackle health inequalities aligned to other local challenges. By simply putting in your local authority you can see place based data:
Tunbridge Wells: 49.1% (HLN) 30.64% (HL)
Maidstone: 56.91% (HLN) 37.34% (HL)
Dartford: 61.64% (HLN) 38.18% (HL)
Medway: 64.28% (HLN) 42.06% (HL)
The Health Literacy Geo Data Tool, estimates that 39% of adults aged 16 to 65 in England struggle with health literacy (HL), rising to 58% when numeracy is included (HLN).
Functional health literacy is crucial for reading and using health information, but challenges arise from factors beyond low skills, such as:
- Unemployment
- Homeownership status
- Non-native English speakers
- Age (over 45)
- Low income
- Living in deprived areas
Try it out to find out what that looks like where you live. - Health literacy geodata tool
