United States: World Ed and MetLife Link Plain Language to Healthier People
Since 1999, World Education and the Metropolitan Life Foundation of New York have worked together to develop plain language, simple-to-understand information on important issues of individual and family health.
It is well known that when a person can't read well, he or she is less likely to succeed in school, find a good job, or make enough money. But people who can't read well also tend to get sick more often and die at younger ages than people with strong reading skills. Part of this is difficulty understanding complicated medical terms used by health care providers and written directions about how to take medicine. Many people find themselves so overwhelmed by the small print on containers of medicine and on the lengthy, technical inserts, that they often simply skim over what may be life-protecting information. Even what may seem obvious often is not: in the largest national study of health literacy to date, almost half of those interviewed did not understand what was meant by 'take medication on an empty stomach'.
The Health and Literacy Compendium, which provides teachers with basic health and literacy materials development and activities, and Culture, Health and Literacy, a compilation of multi-cultural and multi-lingual resources for teachers of non-English speaking students, are other plain-language works sponsored by MetLife and developed by World Ed. Together, we are raising the bar for better health through knowledge. Learn more
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