For many Latino students, low health literacy in their household makes STEMM careers feel out of reach.
When science and medicine feel distant, intimidating, or inaccessible, how can students dream of a future in STEMM?
This isn’t just an abstract idea—it’s a reality for many Hispanic/Latino children in the U.S.
For many, healthcare is not a place of learning and inspiration—it’s a source of confusion and frustration.
The Data: A Crisis in Health Literacy
Health literacy is the ability to obtain, process, and understand health information to make appropriate decisions. It is a fundamental skill that affects access to healthcare, adherence to treatment, and overall well-being. Low health literacy is not just a public health issue—it’s an economic, educational, and workforce crisis.
The data tells a clear story: Hispanic adults have the lowest health literacy levels among all racial and ethnic groups, with 41% classified as "below basic" compared to just 9% of White adults.
Let's explore why this issue matters, how it’s holding Latino students back, and what we can do to help. Because health literacy isn’t just about understanding medicine—it’s about opening doors to careers that can change lives.
The Connection Between Health Literacy and STEMM Careers
A parent’s ability to understand and discuss health information directly impacts their child’s academic interests.
Studies show that children in households with low health literacy are:
✔ Less likely to develop an interest in STEMM – If medical and scientific concepts are not discussed at home, these fields feel distant or unattainable.
✔ More likely to struggle with science and health-related subjects in school – If parents can’t help with homework or explain basic scientific principles, children miss out on early engagement.
✔ Less likely to see doctors and scientists as role models– With only 50,000 Spanish-speaking doctors compared to over 500,000 who speak only English, many Hispanic children grow up without seeing someone who looks like them in these careers.
Why This Matters for Latino Representation in STEMM
If we want to see more Latino doctors, scientists, and engineers, we need to recognize that early exposure to medicine starts at home.
But the solution isn’t simple. We can’t just “increase health literacy” overnight.
The challenges are deeply rooted in systemic issues:
🚧 Limited access to bilingual healthcare providers – Only 50,000 out of more than 500,000 doctors in the U.S. speak Spanish at home.
🚧 A lack of culturally relevant health education materials – Simply translating medical information isn’t enough; it needs to be adapted for cultural context (stay tuned for an upcoming edition of this newsletter on that topic).
🚧 The cycle of educational disparities – Many Latino parents never had access to high-quality science education themselves, making it harder to pass that knowledge on to their children. Poverty and many other factors that I discuss in my book contribute as well.
No Simple Solutions, But a Necessary Conversation
Low health literacy is not just about reading medical documents—it’s about representation in medicine and science, educational equity, and economic mobility. Health literacy is a central focus of the Healthy People 2030 Initiative.
I do not claim to provide solutions to such a complex issue in this short newsletter article. Addressing health literacy among Latinos requires more than just “better education”.
Addressing this issue will take systemic change, policy shifts, and investment in the next generation.
So, what can the rest of us do to help?
If you are part of a corporation, research organization, university, pharmaceutical company, community organization, or school:
✅Try to find ways to Integrate Health Literacy into educational programs– Teaching children and the youth how to navigate healthcare and understand medical information could create a ripple effect, improving both health and educational outcomes.
✅ Support Parents – Community-based programs that provide health literacy and STEMM career workshops for parents can bridge the gap and create a more informed future generation. Several organizations are already engaging Latino parents in these initiatives. See if your community or company would be interested in replicating or supporting such initiatives.
✅Make sure that your company provides linguistically and culturally appropriate materials to increase engagement. Distribute (bilingual) materials through community health centers, social media, and Hispanic-serving institutions.
✅Leverage Trusted Messengers–Partner with Hispanic healthcare professionals, community leaders, and faith-based organizations to share health information and use visually engaging tools like videos and games.
✅Help raise awareness about health literacy measurements and try to implement these scales in research whenever feasible. Change starts with awareness.
✅Try to increase dissemination of evidence-based health literacy practices. Train company representatives and healthcare providers on these practices, and cultural competence and effective communication with Spanish-speaking patients.
The goal isn’t just to increase health literacy—it’s to ensure that no Latino child ever feels that STEMM is “not for them” simply because of the environment they grew up in.
What do you think? How can regular people like you and me help bridge the gap in health literacy and inspire more Latino students to pursue careers in medicine and science? Let’s discuss! 💬👇
(This article references data from the U.S. Department of Education, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and multiple peer-reviewed studies on health literacy, education, and healthcare access among Hispanic populations.)
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