Health literacy. Part 1. Practical techniques for getting your message home

Health literacy promotion techniques are important for the school nurse's toolkit. Health literacy, an Institute of Medicine objective, is "the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions." Forty-three percent of the adult population has difficulty understanding basic health information. This article is the first of two articles that will describe techniques for improving verbal (part 1) and written (part 2) health communication.