HSCI 617 Epidemiology Robert Leumaga

Reflection 2 Assignment

November 7, 2017

Health literacy

Health literacy is an individual’s capability to access, process, and be knowledgeable

about the basic health information and utilize the available healthcare services to make

appropriate health decisions and to improve the one’s health condition.

The importance of health literacy for the general population

Health literacy is significantly critical and an important intervention or a vital part, when it

comes to improving the general population’s health status and health outcomes. Therefore,

having a good knowledge of health-related information increases their health-awareness level

and their involvement to improve their health conditions and outcomes. It contributes to better

self-management behaviors that can be effective in reducing health disparities and understand

the importance of preventative health services that promote healthier life.

Health literacy, information literacy, and how they are related or different

Health literacy and information literacy are related to each other, but are used differently.

Health literacy skills pertain to the understanding and the ability of individuals to use the health

information that is being assessed and absorbed, which is necessary to improve their health.

Information literacy is an individual’s ability, knowledge, and skills in searching and looking for,

determining, sharing, and successfully applying the information found. Information literacy is

majorly utilized in the academic setting, such as, research papers and databases information.

They both have relation with goals that involve the accessing, creating, using, and the

disseminating of information by a group of people or a population that improves lives.

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Gene-Environment Interaction

(Option 3: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/deep-dives/gene-environment-interaction/)

Our environmental settings and different related-experiences and exposures to these

settings, whether they are positive or negative, can have temporary or permanent impacted

changes on the genes that are vital to our health and growth. Genes are genetic-coded materials

in the cells of our bodies that help develop and support the growth and functions of organs in our

bodies. The changes to the genes due to exposures to environment settings are known as

epigenetic modifications, and can be shown through the children’s early life growth. This makes

the children vulnerable to many diseases. Positive experiences (naming a few) can be proper

fostering, access to and consuming nutritional food, using healthcare services, and growing up in

healthier and less or no-stress home conditions. Negative experiences (naming a few) pointed to

the children’s exposures to adverse and stressful environments. For example, no or limited

access to and consuming of nutritional foods, physical and mental abuse, and living in hostile

home conditions, in which all contributed to epigenetic modification.