Which statement about health literacy in older adults is supported by the material?

Which statement about health literacy in older adults is supported by the material?

• A. All adults have high health literacy.
• B. Older adults have higher health literacy than younger adults.
• C. Two-thirds of U.S. adults 65+ have limited health literacy.
• D. Health literacy concerns only reading, not numbers.

Answer: (C)

Understanding health literacy means recognizing how well people can obtain, understand, evaluate, and apply health information to make appropriate health decisions. For older adults, this is often challenging because medical guidance is frequently complex and involves numbers, instructions, and risk information, all of which can be harder to process with aging-related changes. Two-thirds of adults aged 65 and older have limited health literacy, making that statement the best-supported one. This reflects the real-world finding that a large portion of older adults struggle with understanding and using health information in practical ways, which can affect medication management, appointment adherence, and understanding treatment options. Health literacy isn’t just about reading ability; it also includes numeracy and the capacity to interpret dosages, risk statistics, and labels. So the idea that it concerns only reading isn’t accurate. It’s also not true that all adults have high health literacy, nor that older adults have higher health literacy than younger adults.

Understanding health literacy means recognizing how well people can obtain, understand, evaluate, and apply health information to make appropriate health decisions. For older adults, this is often challenging because medical guidance is frequently complex and involves numbers, instructions, and risk information, all of which can be harder to process with aging-related changes.

Two-thirds of adults aged 65 and older have limited health literacy, making that statement the best-supported one. This reflects the real-world finding that a large portion of older adults struggle with understanding and using health information in practical ways, which can affect medication management, appointment adherence, and understanding treatment options.

Health literacy isn’t just about reading ability; it also includes numeracy and the capacity to interpret dosages, risk statistics, and labels. So the idea that it concerns only reading isn’t accurate. It’s also not true that all adults have high health literacy, nor that older adults have higher health literacy than younger adults.