What is health literacy?

• A. Ability to obtain, understand, and use health information.
• B. Ability to access care without insurance.
• C. Knowledge of all diseases.
• D. Ability to memorize long medical terms.

Answer: (A)

Health literacy is the ability to obtain, understand, and use health information to make informed decisions about your health and to navigate the health care system. This means you can find reliable information, comprehend what it means for your situation, and apply that information to take appropriate actions, such as following a medication schedule, understanding discharge instructions, or knowing when to seek care.

The best answer captures all three aspects—getting information, understanding it, and using it to act—so it directly reflects what it means to be health literate. The other options describe related ideas that aren’t the same thing: access without insurance speaks to financial or system barriers rather than literacy; knowledge of all diseases implies exhaustive medical knowledge rather than the practical skill of using information; and memorizing long medical terms focuses on recall rather than applying information in real-life health decisions.