Health Literacy and Health Behavior Change

Abstract

 Health literacy in an important basic skill supporting the voluntary and autonomous adoption of healthy behaviors. This skill can be categorized into dimensions such as "accessing", "understanding", "appraising", and "applying" health information. We can also examine the effects of different levels of skill in each of these dimensions on healthy behavior. This can enable provision of more effective health guidance. Health literacy is also an important skill for information distributors, because they are required to enable people with insufficient health literacy to understand, appraise and apply health information. However, people with high levels of health literacy levels do not always use healthy behaviors. There is a big barrier between "understanding" or "appraising", and "applying" that information on a personal level.

 It is therefore important to explore how to support and lead people who recognize healthy behaviors, but do not adopt them. Complicated goals or dull content is unlikely to persuade people. To appeal to people's emotions, and affect behavior, other characteristics are required. Our randomized controlled trial found that there were fewer withdrawals during the intervention period in the group that were given support to make exercise more enjoyable than in the group given support to help them understand the outcomes of exercise. We often tend to focus on the results or outcomes of health behavior, and try to encourage people by emphasizing those. However, it may be better to provide support by increasing opportunities to have fun while exercising to encourage behavioral change. Further studies are needed on how to combine supporting behavioral change by harnessing motivation, with improving health literacy.