Table 16_8_5-1

2008 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports

The National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) is a comprehensive national overview of quality of health care in the United States. It is organized around four dimensions of quality of care: effectiveness, patient safety, timeliness, and patient centeredness.

Table 16_8_5.1
Adults at each health literacy level,^a United States, 2003
Population group		Below basic		Basic		Intermediate		Proficient
Population group		Percent	SE	Percent	SE	Percent	SE	Percent	SE
Total		14	0.5	22	0.4	53	0.6	12	0.5
Age	16–49	11	DNA	20	DNA	56	DNA	13	DNA
	50–64	13	DNA	22	DNA	53	DNA	12	DNA
	65–75	23	DNA	28	DNA	44	DNA	5	DNA
	75 and over	39	DNA	31	DNA	29	DNA	1	DNA
Gender	Male	16	0.6	22	0.4	51	0.7	11	0.5
Gender	Female	12	0.7	21	0.6	55	0.8	12	0.7
Race/ethnicity^b	White	9	0.6	19	0.7	58	0.9	14	0.9
	Black	24	2.1	34	1.5	41	2.3	2	0.5
	Hispanic, all races	41	1.7	25	0.6	31	1.2	4	0.4
	API	13	2.1	18	1.6	52	2.4	18	2.5
	AI/AN	25	5.4	23	2.8	45	5.2	7	2.9
	Multiple races	9	3.7	28	4.7	59	6.1	3	2.3
Education	Still in high school	13	2.7	24	2.5	56	3.5	7	2.2
	Less than/some high school	49	1.6	27	0.8	23	1.2	1	0.2
	GED/high school equivalency	14	2.4	30	2.8	54	3.6	3	1.2
	High school graduate	15	1.4	29	1.4	53	1.9	4	0.7
	Vocational/trade/business school	12	1.8	25	2.1	57	2.7	7	1.6
	Some college	5	0.9	20	1.6	67	2.0	8	1.4
	Associate's/2-year degree	4	0.9	15	1.7	66	2.2	15	2.3
	College graduate	3	0.5	10	0.9	60	1.8	27	2.2
	Graduate studies/degree	3	0.5	8	0.9	57	2.0	33	2.4
Perceived health status	Excellent	8	0.6	17	0.7	57	1.0	19	1.1
	Very good	9	0.7	19	0.7	59	0.9	13	0.9
	Good	16	1.1	27	0.9	51	1.3	6	0.7
	Fair	33	1.7	30	1.0	34	1.6	3	0.5
	Poor	42	2.3	27	1.3	29	1.8	3	0.6
Health insurance	Employer provided	7	0.5	17	0.6	62	0.9	14	0.9
	Military	12	2.1	21	2.0	56	2.7	11	2.2
	Privately purchased	13	1.2	24	1.2	54	1.6	9	1.2
	Medicare	27	1.4	30	0.9	40	1.4	3	0.5
	Medicaid	30	1.8	30	1.0	38	1.7	3	0.6
	Uninsured	28	1.3	25	0.6	41	1.1	7	0.5

^a Estimates may not sum to total because of rounding. Adults are defined as people age 16 and over living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed because of language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003) are excluded.

^b All adults of Hispanic origin are classified as Hispanic, regardless of race. The Asian/Pacific Islander category includes Native Hawaiians. Black includes African American, and Hispanic includes Latino.

DNA - Data have not been analyzed.

Key: AI/AN: American Indian or Alaska Native; API: Asian or Pacific Islander; SE: standard error.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Current as of September 2009

Internet Citation: Table 16_8_5-1: 2008 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. September 2009. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://archive.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqrdr08/16_prioritypopulations/T16_8_5-1.html