Health Literacy and Its Association with Preventive Healthcare Utilization
*Dr. Ankit VermaCorresponding authorJaipur National University Institute for Medical Sciences and Research Centre, JNU Jaipur, India
* Corresponding author: Dr. Ankit Verma
- Received25 Dec 2025
- Accepted13 Feb 2026
- Published25 Mar 2026
Abstract
Background: Health literacy is an important determinant of health that influences an individual's ability to access, understand, evaluate, and apply health information. Its potential role in preventive healthcare utilization has gained increasing attention because participation in screening, vaccination, routine health assessments, and early detection services remains inconsistent across populations.
Objective: This short communication examines the potential association between health literacy and preventive healthcare utilization and highlights the importance of individual, socioeconomic, digital, and healthcare-system factors influencing this relationship.
Discussion: Individuals with higher health literacy may be better equipped to recognize health risks, understand preventive recommendations, communicate with healthcare professionals, and make informed decisions regarding screening and vaccination. However, health literacy alone does not determine healthcare utilization. Education, income, healthcare accessibility, health beliefs, digital literacy, insurance coverage, and organizational health literacy may substantially influence preventive health behaviours. Consequently, interventions should address both individual competencies and the accessibility and comprehensibility of healthcare services.
Conclusion: Improving health literacy may contribute to greater utilization of preventive healthcare services and support early disease detection and health equity. Future studies should use validated multidimensional health literacy instruments and objective measures of preventive healthcare utilization. Longitudinal and intervention-based research is particularly needed to determine whether improving health literacy produces sustained changes in preventive healthcare behaviour.
Keywords
References
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