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  1. Home
  2. Community-based Implementation Strategies
  3. Medical and Health Literacy

Medical and Health Literacy

In order to make the right health care decisions, individuals must have access to accurate information. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only 12 percent of U.S. adults had proficient health literacy and over a third of U.S. adults – 77 million people – would have difficulty with common health tasks, such as following directions on a prescription drug label or adhering to a childhood immunization schedule. Through our community outreach efforts and science-based research, we help community members obtain and process basic health information to increase disease prevention and treatment consistency. 

Medical Health Literacy
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Featured Publications

  • Refusing to treat noncompliant patients is bad medicine
  • Health-related everyday functioning in the internet age: HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders disrupt online pharmacy and health chart navigation skills
  • Promoting tobacco cessation and smoke-free workplaces through community outreach partnerships in Puerto Rico

Latest News

Photo by Cotton Bro for Pexels
How to Talk to College Students about Alcohol Addiction and Binge Drinking
Dr. Ezemenari Obasi speaks on NPR member station Houston Public Media with reporter Matthew Harab
Photo by Josh Hild
Monkeypox Outbreak: How Concerned Should College Students be about Monkeypox?
Q & A with Houston Health Department’s Dr. David Persse
Image of red confetti on a black background with text in a condensed, bold typeface (in all caps) that reads, "Four Pilot Grants Awarded to HEALTH-RCMI Researchers and Early-Stage Investigators"
Four Pilot Grants Awarded to HEALTH-RCMI Researchers and Early-Stage Investigators
To nurture the research paths of early-stage investigators, pilot project grants are tailored to…
Portrait of an African American man, woman and baby sitting on a church pew at Boynton Chapel United Methodist Church. The man is leaning forward, with hands in prayer position. The woman sits beside him, looking towards the man, while the baby in her arms looks into the camera.
Breakthrough infections have become normal, challenging some Houstonians’ trust in COVID vaccine
In Houston’s communities of color, where COVID has been disproportionately fatal, breakthrough…
Image of smoke in the shape of human lungs, on a black background with gray and white smoke.
Empowering Smokers to Quit: UH researcher’s MASP App now in development to help African American smokers
Crushing the craving to smoke is no easy feat—perhaps a herculean task for many who have key…
UH Health Research Institute


Houston, TX 77204
(713) 743-7684

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