Final answer:
Health risks for patients increase with low health literacy due to difficulties in understanding medical information and making informed decisions. Improving health literacy can lead to better health outcomes and is crucial for reducing health disparities, particularly in underrepresented communities. Education and advocacy play important roles in promoting health equity by addressing barriers to healthcare access and institutional sexism.
Step-by-step explanation:
Health risks for patients increase if they have low health literacy. Low health literacy can lead to difficulties in comprehending medical information, which impairs the ability to make informed decisions and engage in effective disease-prevention strategies. This can result in poor management of chronic diseases, misunderstanding of medical instructions, and decreased use of preventive measures, all of which can contribute to negative health outcomes. As stated in research, high health literacy is associated with better health outcomes and reduced disparities.
Health education is crucial for improving health literacy, which in turn can promote health equity, especially among communities such as African Americans who have historically faced barriers due to systemic racism and mistrust in the healthcare system. The strategic collection of culturally specific data and increased diversity in research participation can help in addressing and reducing health inequities. The narrative of the volunteer's experience underscores the importance of community engagement and personal advocacy in promoting health literacy and addressing medical mistrust. Economics and education also play significant roles in health disparities, as diseases influenced by behavior, such as lung cancer and coronary artery disease, often initially affect all SES groups but decline in high SES groups after educational initiatives.
Furthermore, healthcare access and institutionalized sexism in the healthcare industry have profound impacts on women's health, exacerbating health disparities. To address these challenges, it is essential to create and implement education initiatives that can effectively reach different SES groups and promote health equity among underrepresented communities.