commentary C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 4 9 , Nº 12
Organizational Health Literacy in Oral Health: A Multilevel Perspective Lindsay Rosenfeld, ScD, ScM; Kathryn Atchison DDS, MPH; Nicole Holland, DDS, MS; Kelly Cantor, MPH, CHES; and Lindsey A. Robinson, DDS
abstract Healthy People 2030 has been released and includes new health literacy definitions that more fully reflect it as a multidimensional concept connected to the social and structural determinants of health. Keywords: Oral health literacy, Healthy People 2030, general health, organizational health literacy, oral health, health equity
AUTHORS Lindsay Rosenfeld, ScD, ScM, is a social epidemiologist with research, practice and policy interests focused on the social and structural determinants of health and child equity. She is an instructor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and a scientist and lecturer with the Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy at the Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy & Management. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
Kathryn A. Atchison, DDS, MPH, is a professor in the division of public health and community dentistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry and is jointly appointed in the UCLA Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health, department of health policy management. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
Nicole Holland, DDS, MS, is an assistant professor and the director of health communication, education and promotion in the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine’s Department of Public Health and Community Service. Her research interests include the intersection of health literacy, language access and oral health as well as the impact of oral health messaging in the media. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported. Kelly Cantor, MPH, CHES, is the manager of community-based programs at the American Dental Association. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
Lindsey A. Robinson, DDS, is a board-certified pediatric dentist and has maintained a dental practice in Grass Valley, Calif., since 1996. She has served on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Roundtable on Health Literacy as an oral health representative since 2013. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
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he importance of health literacy in oral and general health is wellestablished.1 Two previous issues of the Journal of the California Dental Association (April 2012, August 2020) were dedicated to the idea that health literacy is vital to positive oral health outcomes.2 The recent release of Healthy People 2030 includes new health literacy definitions that more fully reflect the connection to the social and structural determinants of health.3 Personal health literacy is defined as: “The degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.” Organizational health literacy is defined as: “The degree to which organizations equitably enable individuals to find, understand and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.” A 2021 article by Brach and D ECEMBER 2 0 2 1
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