HELI 2012 Alumna Dr. Olayinka Shiyanbola is a guest editor on the forthcoming special issue on health literacy and health equity in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
The deadline for submissions is August 1, 2021 and all details can be found here.
Health literacy is commonly defined as the ability to access, understand, and use information to make health-related decisions. Health literacy research has also emphasized the interaction between individual skill levels and the attributes of available health information and services. Studies show that on average, adults have inadequate health-related literacy skills which do not match the complexity of existing health-related tools, materials, and services. This discrepancy, often more pronounced among underserved and vulnerable populations, is a source of escalating health disparities.
This issue is interested in how health disparities can be mitigated, and health equity for underserved populations improved through the lens of health literacy. There is interest in research contributions that examine the relationship between health literacy and health equity, interventions implemented to reduce health disparities with a core focus on addressing health literacy, public health efforts to address health literacy as a social determinant of health, and papers that feature innovative strategies towards enhancing health literacy among vulnerable and underserved populations.
Dr. Shiyanbola is Associate Professor in the Social and Administrative Sciences Division in the UW=Madison School of Pharmacy. Thank you for sharing!
Health Equity Leadership Institute 