How Is Health Related to Literacy, Numeracy, and Technological Problem-Solving Skills among U.S. Adults? Evidence from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)

This paper uses data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to analyze the relationship between U.S. adults' self-reported health and proficiencies in literacy, numeracy, and technological problem solving. Ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that scores on all three scales were positively and significantly related to health. After controlling for respondents' socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, only literacy remained significant, but the magnitude of the literacy effect diminished substantially. These results suggest that socioeconomic resources such as formal education, parents' education, and employment are the "pathway or mechanism" through which literacy, numeracy, and technological problem solving are related to health. Therefore, literacy, numeracy, and technological problem solving should be viewed as social determinants of health. Policy implications include the need for literacy and ESL instruction, coupled with efforts to increase college completion and access to health insurance and support services for people with disabilities.