Health Literacy in Adult Education: A Natural Partnership for Health Equity

Incorporating health literacy in adult education instruction is a promising approach to increasing the health equity of people who face racial/ethnic health disparities. Six adult education centers throughout a small Northeast state received 1-year Health Literacy Project grants from a local foundation to increase their capacity to teach health literacy through Study Circles. The evaluation of the project assessed changes in adult learners' skills needed to navigate health systems, manage chronic diseases, and engage in preventive behavior; learners' self-efficacy; and how the education centers increased their capacity to teach health literacy skills to adult learners of color. Quantitative and qualitative data indicated that students' knowledge about health issues and self-efficacy increased significantly as a result of the health literacy instruction. All six centers improved their capacity to teach health literacy. By the end of the Health Literacy Project, almost three quarters of classes included health literacy instruction. Almost half of the Study Circle teachers continued to attend professional development activities for health literacy and share their knowledge with other teachers. Each center also developed partnerships with health care providers and created an infrastructure to continue to teach health literacy. Implications of the identified strengths and challenges on future efforts to increase health literacy and equity are considered.