Health literacy refers to the degree to which people are able to access and understand essential health information in order to make informed and appropriate health decisions. This report focuses on the health literacy experiences among Māori with skin infections.
New Zealand has one of the highest rates for childhood skin infections in the western world. It is estimated that 60,000 children visit general practices every year for treatment of skin infections and previous research has shown there is a strong relationship between a person's health literacy and their health status.
The report identifies effective health literacy interventions to strengthen the prevention and management of skin infections for Māori children under 15 years of age and includes a set of skin infection resources designed to improve both the health information available to Māori parents/caregivers, and patient/health provider communication.