Guide for Finding and Understanding Health Information

Health Literacy

Health literacy is the skills we use to find information and make decisions about health. (Source: Centers for Disease Control). There are two parts of health literacy:

• Personal health literacy is our ability to find, understand, and use information to make health-related decisions and actions for ourselves and our loved ones.

• Organizational health literacy is the ability of organizations help us to find, understand, and use information to make health-related decisions.

Misinformation

Misinformation is information that is not completely true or accurate.​ (Source: Britannica Encyclopedia)

COVID-19

COVID-19's full name is Coronavirus Disease 2019. COVID-19 is a disease caused by a germ called SARS-CoV-2. This germ causes fever, cough difficulty breathing, and other symptoms. COVID-19 has spread throughout the world. Most people get mild to moderate illness. Older adults and people with certain health conditions are at high risk for severe illness and death. (Sources: MedlinePlus and Plain Language Medical Dictionary)

Long COVID

Long COVID is is when people continue to have health problems after having COVID-19. Long COVID is also called long-haul COVID, chronic COVID, post-COVID conditions, and post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC). (Source: MedlinePlus)

A Pandemic

A pandemic is a health problem that impacts many countries (Sources: Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Plain Language Medical Dictionary)

A Vaccine

Vaccines are also called vaccinations and immunizations. A vaccine is a shot that protects you from a disease. (Sources: MedlinePlus and Plain Language Medical Dictionary)

A Booster

A booster is also called booster shot or booster dose. A booster is a shot that you get months or years after your first vaccine shot. (Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Plain Language Medical Dictionary)

A Mask

A mask is also called a face mask or face covering. Wearing a face mask is one of the strategies used to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Sources: MedlinePlus and Plain Language Medical Dictionary)

A Social Determinant of Health

Social determinants of health are how where we were born, grow up, live, learn, work, play, and worship impacts our health. (Source: Healthy People 2030)

Mental Health

Mental health affects how we think, feel, and act as we cope with life, stress, and other people. (Sources: MedlinePlus and Plain Language Medical Dictionary)