Welcome to the Health Literacy Web Site, designed for professionals in public health and health care research, practice, and policy. The site provides an overview of health literacy issues, background information and links to key data, unique assessment tools, as well as key resources . Please navigate the site using the menu to the left.
We highlight a section of current interest within Practice: Strategies and Tools. The HLE2 , an update of the original 2007 Health Literacy Environment of Hospitals and Health Centers, addresses organizational health literacy. Characteristics of our hospitals, health centers, public health, and social service agencies and organizations can facilitate or inhibit access to health information, health care, and health services. This tool enables one to assess various components of the health literacy environment and supports our efforts to shape health literate organizations and reduce health disparities.
This web site was originally developed in the 1990s through the HSPH Health Literacy Studies, at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, with Dr. Rima Rudd as Principal Investigator. It was the first academic site to provide resources, study findings, policy developments, and links in the burgeoning area of health literacy inquiry. Health literacy is now considered an important variable for analyses of health outcomes and a mediating factor in health disparities. Research findings provide insights for the design and development of health materials, for professional education and practice, for institutional change, and for policy initiatives. We hope you enjoy, use, and share the resources.
with appreciation, Rima E. Rudd, MSPH, ScD, Senior Lecturer on Health Literacy, Education and Policy, Emerita, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
updated: August 19, 2024
