Arlene B.

Daro HW 1
2014-55735
EDH 130

Being enrolled in a Consumer Health Education class, I had the fascination to know
what it really is and what the course offers. For me to be able to fully grasp and understand
the lessons, I believe that it is important to always go back to the basics define the
terms. Defining the terms does not only mean searching for them in the dictionary and
internet, but also giving your own meaning of the terms based on how you understand
them and being able to compromise.

First things first, what is a consumer? According to Segens Medical Dictionary

(2011), a consumer is a term for a patient, carer, organization representing consumers
interests, or member of the public, who is the target of health promotion programs, and
any group asking for research because they believe they have been exposed to
potentially harmful circumstances, products or services. A consumer is a person who
purchases goods and services for personal use (Oxford Dictionaries, n.d.). I can define
the term consumer through one word us. We consume for us to be able to survive in
our environment. We purchase different goods and services to satisfy our basic needs
and to maintain our health and well-being.

Now that I have defined what a consumer is, I will dig deeper and relate it to health.
Consumer health focuses on enabling patients, families, caregivers, and the general
public to find current, reliable, and accessible health information (Bernard Becker Medical
Library, n.d.). As what I have understood, consumer health refers to the decisions a
person makes about the purchase of product and use of health information and services
that will have a direct effect on ones health.

After seeing the connection between consumer and health, I will now slightly tackle
how being an educated consumer is a must. According to Study.com (n.d.), consumer
education is a right that protects the consumer from large companies that sell products
and services. This focuses on the consumers having the right to know more about the
products that they buy. Also, they have the right to be protected from the different
malicious acts. Based on my knowledge prior to the research, consumer education is
concerned with teaching the people on how to read and check the labels placed in each
of the product they purchase, so as to know the nutritional value in the said product.

All of these terms would not be possible to be applied if a person is health illiterate.
Therefore, it is of utmost important that as part of a Consumer Health Education class,
health literacy should be properly defined and tackled in the class.
 According to my research, health literacy is defined as the skills which determine
the motivation and ability of individuals to have access to, understand and use information
in ways which promote and maintain good health (World Health Organization, n.d). If
people are given enough access to health information followed by application, they are
on their way to being more and more health literate. From what I have understood, being
health literate means that a person can obtain, process, and understand the different
health information and services being presented to him, which would be a factor in his
decision making when it comes to his health concerns.

Sources:
consumer. (n.d.). Segen's Medical Dictionary. Retrieved January 17 2017
from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/consumer

consumer. (n.d). Oxford University Press. Retrieved January 17 2017 from

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/consumer

Consumer Health. (n.d.). Bernard Becker Medical Library. Retrieved January 17 2017
from https://becker.wustl.edu/classes-consulting/specialized-expertise/consumer-health

What is Consumer Education? Definition and Importance. (n.d.). Study.com Retrieved

January 17 2017 from http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-consumer-education-
definition-importance-quiz.html

Health promotion. (n.d.). World Health Organization. Retrieved January 17 2017 from
http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/7gchp/track2/en/