Australian Bureau of Statistics data, from the 2006 Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, reveal that what's termed health literacy varies with age, rising in the late teens then declining after 40.
Health literacy is described as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
That's ranked from one to five, with one the lowest level and three classed as the minimum required to meet the complex demands of everyday life and work.
Women are generally more health literate than men while the higher the income and the better the job, the more health literate a person is.
The ABS said there were no outstanding differences in skill levels for health literacy across the states and territories, with the ACT being the standout exception with 56 per cent surveyed at level three or better and even higher for females.
Proportions at skill level three or better in the states and territories ranged from 43 per cent in Western Australia to 37 per cent in the Northern Territory and Tasmania.
Significantly more employed people achieved a health literacy skill of level three or better (47 per cent) compared to the unemployed (25 per cent).
Australia's level of health literacy appears comparable to other developed nations with 45 per cent of Canadians achieving level three or better, compared to 43 per cent in Australia.
Source: AAP NewsWire