Hot Topics in Literacy

Literacy plays a vital role in a person’s ability to manage their work, health, finances, families and more. To stay ahead of the curve on how literacy intersects with different areas of society, the literacy and essential skills field in Canada is constantly changing and developing. This section of the site provides a snapshot of hot topics in literacy to increase our knowledge of current trends.

Other hot topics coming soon:
  • Financial Literacy
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Literacy and the Economy

People have always been at the heart of economic growth, and the skills people bring with them in today’s world are more important than ever. Our economy is increasingly reliant on technological change and information; people need strong skills not only to adapt to these changes, but also to use them to advance their work.

The skills of a country’s labour pool also determine its competitiveness in the global marketplace. A highly skilled population will be more adept at handling change in the workplace and will have better chances of finding and keeping jobs. In this way, investing in skill building can drive down unemployment rates and increase labour productivity.

The importance of a skilled labour force to achieving success in the knowledge economy has been cited in numerous reports. The conclusion is the same – increased investments in the skills of the current and future labour force will improve Canada’s economy.

What is the Knowledge Economy?

The term knowledge economy refers to important economic changes taking place across the world. Major trends within the knowledge economy include:

  • The fastest growing sectors of the economy are ones that focus on knowledge and information as opposed to tangible products
  • The number of jobs related to the use and creation of information and knowledge is rising
  • New technology is changing the nature of work to the extent that physical barriers to markets or labour in other countries are less important. For example, a couple in Canada can have their wedding cards designed in India, printed in the UK and mailed to Toronto, all at an affordable rate.

The implications are that current and potential workers need to be highly skilled in order to compete and adapt to change. In this scenario, people with low literacy skills are at a distinct disadvantage.

What does this mean for literacy?

According to Statistics Canada, over 45% of Canadian adults have inadequate literacy skills. At an individual level, those with low literacy skills are at risk of being unemployed, underemployed and unable to fully participate in society. At an economic level, we risk higher unemployment rates and skilled labour shortages. Both Craig Alexander and Dr. Rick Miner mapped the linkages between literacy and the economy in their presentations at the Spotlight on Learning conference. Here are some highlights:

 

 

  • Raising literacy scores among those with weak skills by one level could create as many as 800,000 jobs
  • A 1% increase in literacy could boost national income by $32 billion
  • Workforce and workplace training is key if workers want to compete for the jobs of tomorrow
  • Canada’s aging population will leave many jobs unfulfilled if adult workers do not have adequate skills to compete

Literacy provides the foundational skills that allow people to function well at work and beyond. Practitioners, employers and government need to band together and make meaningful investments in adult literacy if we are to meet the challenges of our changing economy.

RESOURCES

Dr. Rick Miner, Seneca’s President Emeritus, and Craig Alexander, Senior Vice President & Chief Economist at TD Bank Financial Group, both reinforced the importance of literacy in their presentations at the Spotlight on Learning conference.

Dr. Rick Miner addressed a diverse audience of government ministers and MPPs, business and labour groups, and literacy and essential skills practitioners. He presented his report People Without Jobs, Jobs Without People - Canada’s Labour Market Future.

Craig Alexander made a strong case for literacy as an economic investment in his presentation – Canada’s Literacy Challenge.

Resource Links: 
Literacy Matters: A Call for Action –Craig Alexander
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Health Literacy

The US government’s Healthy People 2010 describes health literacy as “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.” Literacy and health research in Canada dates back to the late 1980s.  At that time health literacy referred to an individual’s ability to read and understand medical information and instructions, rather than on making informed health decisions and navigating the healthcare system. Today we have adopted the latter, more nuanced view of health literacy in Canada.

The Expert Panel on Health Literacy, established by the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) in 2006 presented this updated view of a health literate Canada: All people in Canada have the capacity, opportunities and support they need to obtain and use health information effectively, to act as informed partners in the care of themselves, their families and communities, and to manage interactions in a variety of settings that affect health and well-being. In order to achieve this, certain issues need to be addressed.

Current Trends in Health Literacy

As the definition of health literacy expands to reflect socio-economic realities as well as skills deficits, particular issues become more prevalent. There are certain groups of people who are more at risk of harm. Here are some highlights:

As our society ages there is an increasing need for health interventions. As a result seniors with low literacy levels and skills gaps – many of whom are often unaware of their vulnerability – develop a greater risk of poor health outcomes. Studies found that low health literacy among community-dwelling seniors was related to lower mental health scores, higher hospitalization rates, poorer self-reported health, and less use of preventive health services (e.g. vaccinations).

Values, belief systems, and meanings differ from culture to culture. The same can be said for at-risk communities who do not always possess the soft skills necessary to navigate the system and advocate for their health. According to the report, Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion, by the Institute of Medicine: “[d]iffering cultural and educational backgrounds between patients and providers, as well as between those who create health information and those who use it, may contribute to problems in health literacy.” Both of these barriers to communication must be taken into consideration when discussing health literacy.

Cognitive barriers are also important considerations for improving health literacy. It is estimated that one-third of all people in literacy programs have a learning disability, which can hider basic literacy skill levels. These individuals with cognitive or perceptual difficulties have more barriers to overcome in literacy, and as a result, health literacy.

Untrained health practitioners also play a role in health literacy. Regardless of literacy levels – heightened anxiety can decrease the ability to process information effectively. Physicians using elaborate medical or technical terms may increase an individuals’ anxiety, which may in turn cause misuse of medication or a lack of understanding of medical conditions.

What do we need to work towards in order to succeed?

In order to meet these challenges in the health literacy field, the bottom line remains consistent – better communication is key. Common suggestions include:

  • Healthcare professionals require better training in order to better disseminate health information
  • Better oral communication is needed between physicians and patients – tone, attitude, and pace all have an effect on how information is processed
  • Patients require more easy-to-read materials
  • Visual representations versus written documentation may increase patients’ understanding of materials

RESOURCES

Rootman, Irving, and Barbara Ronson. " Literacy and Health Research in Canada - Where Have We Been and Where Should We Go?" Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique. 96.2.

Rootman, Irving, and Deborah Gordon-El-Bihbet. " A Vision for a Health Literate Canada ." Report of the Expert Panel on Health Literacy. Executive Summary. Canadian Public Health Association, 2008.

Shohet, Linda, and Lise Renaud. "Critical Analysis on Best Practices in Health Literacy ." Canadian Journal of Public Health. 97.2.

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