Health literacy as a foundation for student health, well-being, and success

Student health literacy is often discussed narrowly as the ability to understand medical information — but in the higher education environment, it is far broader and far more consequential. Health literacy encompasses how students access, understand, evaluate, and apply information related to their physical health, mental health, emotional well-being, nutrition, sleep, relationships, substance use, sexual health, and the broader social determinants of health.¹

In a college setting, health literacy is deeply connected to student success because students are typically making independent decisions about their health for the first time, often while navigating academic pressure, social transitions, and rapidly changing identities. A student who understands how to engage in health behaviors, access behavioral health resources, interpret insurance coverage, recognize early signs of anxiety or depression, or advocate for their own care is better positioned not only to stay healthy, but to persist academically and thrive personally. Conversely, low health literacy can contribute to poor health habits, delayed care, misuse of healthcare services, increased stress, poorer chronic disease management, and avoidable crises.¹

Health literacy is also fundamentally connected to health equity.¹ Students from historically marginalized or underserved populations may face additional barriers related to language, culture, socioeconomic status, prior healthcare experiences, or systemic inequities that make navigating healthcare systems even more difficult. When institutions fail to communicate clearly or provide accessible pathways to care, these disparities can widen. Improving health literacy, therefore, is not simply about education; it is about creating more equitable access to information, services, and opportunities for all students to achieve well-being and academic success.

Institutional support of health literacy

For those of us who support student health and well-being, health literacy is not a peripheral issue; it is key to our mission and enhancing health literacy is a value we can provide to our students. Insurance products and healthcare systems can be confusing even for experienced adults, and many students arrive on campus with limited understanding of how healthcare works.

Deductibles, provider networks, referrals, preventive care, virtual behavioral health, and pharmacy benefits are not intuitive concepts for many young adults. If students do not understand how to use their benefits or navigate the healthcare system, even the strongest coverage can fail to achieve its intended impact. That is why supporting health literacy is inseparable from supporting access, affordability, and student outcomes.

Health literacy also aligns closely with population health and equity principles: informed students are more likely to seek preventive care, utilize appropriate resources, engage in healthy behaviors, and access support earlier before issues escalate into emergencies or academic disruptions.^2,3  Equally important, a commitment to health literacy can help institutions identify and reduce barriers that disproportionately impact vulnerable student populations, creating more inclusive and equitable systems of care. In many ways, health literacy serves as both a student success strategy and a health equity strategy.

Health literacy in action

The challenge, and opportunity, for higher education professionals is to move health literacy from a passive concept to an active institutional strategy. This work cannot rest solely within student health or counseling centers; it requires a campus-wide commitment that integrates health literacy into orientation programs, academic success initiatives, residential life, communications, advising, and student engagement efforts.

Professionals in the health and well-being space can begin by asking simple but important questions:

• Are our materials understandable?
• Are we communicating in ways students actually consume information?
• Are we reducing complexity or unintentionally adding to it?
• Are we considering how culture, language, accessibility, and lived experience influence how students receive and act on health information?

Institutions should consider creating coordinated health literacy campaigns in plain language focused on topics such as navigating healthcare, understanding insurance, accessing mental health resources, recognizing signs of distress, and building lifelong self-advocacy skills. Peer education programs, digital tools, social media content, and faculty partnerships can all play a role in making health information more accessible and actionable. Most importantly, health literacy efforts should be grounded in empathy and designed with students rather than simply for students.

Campus Heath 360’s role in health literacy

Health literacy is inextricably linked to access, affordability, and student outcomes — requiring a holistic, well-rounded approach. Campus Health 360 has a mission to simplify the complex systems of health and well-being and help students confidently engage with their health and well-being resources. By digging deep into the core of the issue, Campus Health 360 is supporting collaborative work to make health literacy a priority for the field of higher education.

Today’s students face unprecedented complexity in both healthcare and higher education. By prioritizing health literacy, colleges, universities, and initiatives like Campus Health 360 can empower students with the knowledge, confidence, and skills needed not only to manage their health during college, but to build healthier, more equitable futures long after graduation.

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References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). What is health literacy? Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/health-literacy/php/about/index.html
2. O’Neill, G., & Geisler, P. (2023). Health Literacy as a Pathway to Wellbeing:: A Celebration of Health Literacy Month. Delaware journal of public health, 9(5), 12. https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2023.12.004
3. Healthy People 2030. (n.d.) Health Literacy in Healthy People. Retrieved from https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/health-literacy-healthy-people-2030.  

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