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Health Literacy Deficits

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Health Outcomes in a Foreign Land

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Abstract

Health literacy is defined as “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.” Inherent to this concept are the attributes of the health care system; how to access information and understand prevention, screening and self-management of conditions, and participation in clinical trials. Limited health literacy disproportionately affects lower socioeconomic and racial/ethnic minority groups and contributes to health disparities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Howard University, Woodbridge, VA, USA

    Bernard Kwabi-Addo

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  1. Bernard Kwabi-Addo
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Correspondence to Bernard Kwabi-Addo .

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Kwabi-Addo, B. (2017). Health Literacy Deficits. In: Health Outcomes in a Foreign Land . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55865-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55865-3_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-55864-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-55865-3

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