Challenging a statistic: Why should we accept that 60 percent of adult Australians have low health literacy?

Black, SR

Challenging a statistic: Why should we accept that 60 percent of adult Australians have low health literacy?

Black, SR

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Publisher:: UTS ePRESS
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Literacy and Numeracy Studies, 2016, 24 (1), pp. 66 - 74
Issue Date:: 2016

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Black, SR https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0825-0384	en_US
dc.date.issued	2016	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Literacy and Numeracy Studies, 2016, 24 (1), pp. 66 - 74	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1441-0559	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/48493
dc.description.abstract	This paper briefly considers Australia’s only national health survey published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2008 which has been widely referenced within the health sector. The main issue discussed is the use of a criterion level (level 3) to determine the point below which nearly 60 percent of Australian adults can be considered to have inadequate health literacy. The argument is made that this criterion level is arbitrary and statistically unjustified, yet it serves the purpose of presenting health literacy as a ‘crisis’ demanding action, which in turn represents the interests of dominant groups in this globalised, neo-liberal era.	en_US
dc.publisher	UTS ePRESS	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Literacy and Numeracy Studies	en_US
dc.title	Challenging a statistic: Why should we accept that 60 percent of adult Australians have low health literacy?	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	24	en_US
utslib.for	1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/e-Press
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.consider-herdc	false	en_US
pubs.issue	1	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	24	en_US

Abstract:

This paper briefly considers Australia’s only national health survey published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2008 which has been widely referenced within the health sector. The main issue discussed is the use of a criterion level (level 3) to determine the point below which nearly 60 percent of Australian adults can be considered to have inadequate health literacy. The argument is made that this criterion level is arbitrary and statistically unjustified, yet it serves the purpose of presenting health literacy as a ‘crisis’ demanding action, which in turn represents the interests of dominant groups in this globalised, neo-liberal era.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/48493