Rutgers Professor is Coauthor of New Book on Advancing Health Literacy

New Brunswick, NJA silent and vastly under-reported barrier lies between millions of Americans and proper medical care. Individuals with low health literacy are often found to have poorer health, are more likely to be hospitalized, have increased medical costs and are less likely to obtain preventative care or understand their physicians. Working to correct this problem, Andrew Pleasant, an assistant professor in the Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers Cook College, is coauthor of a new book, Advancing Health Literacy. The book addresses the crisis in health literacy in the United States and around the world.

This book thoroughly examines the critical role of literacy in public health and outlines a practical, effective model that bridges the gap between health and education, health promotion and health communication, said Pleasant, who is also an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Health Sciences at Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

The book takes the reader through a step by step outline of the theory and practice of health literacy from a public health perspective. This comprehensive resource includes the history of health literacy, theoretical foundations of health and language literacy, the role of the media and a series of case studies on important topics including prenatal care, anthrax, HIV/AIDS, genomics and diabetes. The book concludes with a series of practical guidelines for the development and assessment of health communication materials. Also included are essential techniques needed to help people make informed decisions, advocate for themselves and their community, mitigate risk and live healthier lives.

The other coauthors of Advancing Health Literacy are Christina Zarcadoolas, associate clinical professor in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and David Greer, dean of medicine emeritus and professor of community health emeritus at the Division of Biology and Medicine, School of Medicine, Brown University. Greer was the founding director of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985.

Pleasant joined the Rutgers faculty in 2005 after receiving a Masters in Environmental Studies at Brown University and a Ph.D. in Communication from Cornell University. He has worked for the World Health Organization in India and Switzerland, and the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program currently based at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. Recently he has taught several courses in South Africa for science communicators in partnership with international leaders in the field. These courses are supported by the South African Association for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). At Cook College he teaches Environmental Communication and the Junior/Senior Colloquium, Communication and Life Science. He also teaches courses at Rutgers in conjunction with the Bloustein School, and is affiliated with the graduate faculties at the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies and at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Public Health.

The book can be purchased directly from the publisher, Jossey-Bass, by calling 1-800-956-7739 or visiting www.josseybass.com. Use promotion code MPH20 for a 20 percent discount.

Contact:

Michele Hujber

732-932-7000 x 4204

E-mail: hujber@aesop.rutgers.edu