As well, they may not be in a position to assert their health and safety rights as workers. At home, people with lower literacy skills are more likely to live in substandard housing and in areas with more crime, pollution, traffic, etc. People with lower literacy skills are likely to be under more stress , to have less self confidence, and to feel more vulnerable than better-educated people. Given unemployment, poverty, unsafe working conditions, and lack of control over their lives, this is not surprising. Literacy is closely linked to healthy lifestyle practices .
Low literacy limits opportunities, resources, and the control which people have over their lives.
As a result, people with low literacy have limited opportunity to make informed choices about their own lifestyle. Barriers of poverty, cultural bias, language and literacy affect access to health services and information. They tend to have less background health knowledge and vocabulary and therefore may not understand even information given verbally. They may not know about the services available to them, and may feel powerless and intimidated in relation to health professionals and institutions. Although some of these barriers are beyond the control of health providers, some of them are making a difference by re-examining the way they communicate health information.