Medicine
Impact of Health Literacy on Preventive Care Utilization
Quick fact
Adults with low health literacy are significantly less likely to get recommended screenings like colonoscopies or mammograms, and they are more likely to land in the emergency room instead of a doctor's office—even after controlling for income and insurance status.
Why this is interesting
You might think that knowing about a screening is enough to get it done, but millions of people skip preventive care because they simply don't understand the numbers or the instructions. Why does a simple lack of understanding make such a huge difference in public health?