U.S. health care called 'backward'

One of the issues most frustrating to health officials are health disparities, whether because of age or race or background. For instance, overall child immunization rates are high and cancer deaths are falling, as are Sudden Infant Death Syndrome deaths and others. But it's a "cup half full," he said, because minorities are not seeing the same success story in all areas. There are serious disparities with diabetes, heart disease and stroke, HIV/AIDS and cancer, among others. One in four minority children haven't had at least one of the vaccines they need. Not everyone has equal ability to access, understand and use health information to make good health choices. And for some, even simple things are a struggle.

He said health literacy — "being able to have a message heard, understood, embraced and ultimately put into action" — will reduce health disparities.

To that end, Health and Human Services officials are trying to couch the messages in simple terms. A 706-page technical report on secondhand smoke was summarized in a 16-page brochure for the general public, the language keyed to a sixth-grade level, he said.

"If people don't understand what to do to stay healthy when they walk out our door," he said, "we haven't done our job."

They've also come up with a family health project designed to let people put together a personal family health history in simple form that they can then go over with the doctor. It can be downloaded at www.surgeongeneral.gov.

---

E-mail: lois@desnews.com