Examining Methods to Improve Health Literacy Among Spanish Speakers in the U.S. to Improve Health Outcomes and Access to Health Care

The importance and prevalence of health literacy has emerged in part due to continuing changes in the delivery of health care services, creating new responsibilities for patients and their caregivers, which include finding and evaluating information, self-monitoring health status, and understanding financial constraints and obligations. Those with low health literacy are not able to access the same healthcare benefits, nor are they able to maintain a healthier life as they are not as informed about preventative care. Spanish speakers in the U.S. are subject to these outcomes due to their low levels of health literacy, in which they ultimately experience more severe health issues, late-stage diseases, and higher disease burden. This paper is a comprehensive examination of health literacy among Spanish speakers and makes recommendations on policies that could be implemented into the U.S. healthcare system to better accommodate Spanish speakers and help improve their health literacy for the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes and access to healthcare.