Healthy eating and physical activity in socioeconomically disadvantaged women: the role of health literacy

The Public Health White Paper recognises the need to help individuals to make informed decisions about healthy eating and physical activity. However, one in five people in the UK cannot interpret basic health information. Poor health literacy is associated with socio-economic disadvantage and compounds health inequalities. Interventions to promote informed decision-making for healthy eating and physical activity commonly ignore patient health literacy. Indeed, there is a lack of research into health literacy and lifestyle choices as well as poor understanding of how different population groups seek, interpret, critically analyse and use information to make informed lifestyle decisions.