This study examines US adults with learning disabilities' health information-seeking behaviors using PIAAC data. It aims to answer questions about preferred sources based on gender, race, literacy, and numeracy skills, and how lifelong learning impacts health seeking. Wilson's Information Seeking Behavior model is used as the theoretical…

Health-related decisions make use of numeracy skills, for example counting medication dosages, extracting health-related information from food packaging or understanding statistical data. Even though the concept of health literacy is often used to explain health disparities (Freedman et al., in American Journal of Preventive Medicine 36:446-451,…

Barriers to accessing preventive care, and healthcare in general, include lack of language proficiency (Chang, Chan, & Han, 2015; Lebrun, 2012; Ponce et al., 2006; DeRose, Escarce, & Lurie, 2007; Jacobs, Chen, Karliner, Agger-Gupta, & Mutha, 2006), inability to afford health care (Aguilera & Massey, 2003), lack of health insurance…

We examine complex pathways that link health information seeking behavior with education and health literacy (decomposed into general literacy and numeracy), and how these pathways differ by perceived health status (need) among a nationally representative sample of Americans age 50 and older (n = 2,750). Data come from the Program for…