Objectives: To examine adults' literacy proficiencies in multiple health contexts. Methods: One hundred ninety-one (191) health-related items drawn from all large-scale adult literacy surveys before 2003 were scored as an independent health literacy scale. Latent class analyses provide portraits of adults with different health literacy skills. Results: Adults without a high school diploma or GED, with health-related restrictions, with limited access to resources, who are members of minority population groups, and who are immigrants - have lower health literacy skills than do others. Conclusions: The distribution of health literacy is not independent of general literacy skills at population or subpopulation levels.

Health literacy

educational status human Health Behavior middle aged Aged United States Humans Adolescent male female cognition questionnaire Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Psychometrics psychometry Article Questionnaires adult publishing attitude to health