What Actually Helps Black Women Navigate Health Decisions
Why health literacy is the skill Black women need to turn information into real care decisions
The EBWH Community: The Brief
“If you don’t believe in the messenger, you won’t believe the message.”
That quote from James M. Kouzes feels especially true in today’s healthcare landscape. When the messenger has not earned our trust, the message becomes noise. And for Black women navigating the U.S. healthcare system, that noise can have real consequences.
As I think about what it truly means to enhance Black women’s health in 2026, one thing is clear. Information alone is not the answer. What makes the difference is whether Black women, and those who support them, have the skills to turn overwhelming information into clear, usable action.
That skill is health literacy.
What Is Health Literacy, Really?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines health literacy as the ability to find, understand, and use health information to make informed decisions.
That definition sounds simple. In practice, it is anything but.
Research from the Milken Institute found that 24 percent of Black adults in the U.S. have below basic health literacy. While that statistic does not break things down by gender, it points to a challenge many providers and advocates see every day when working with Black women.
Before someone can act on medical advice, they have to understand it.
Limited health literacy can delay care, undermine treatment plans, weaken self-advocacy, and make it harder to apply medical guidance in real life. Even if most people have basic or above health literacy, the consequences for those who do not are too significant to ignore.
Which brings us back to trust.
When health information does not feel relevant, understandable, or grounded in our lived realities, we question not just the message, but the source. That’s why building health literacy means learning how to evaluate both.
To make this more practical, I want to share a brief case study from my own experience.
My Case Study in Navigating Autoimmune Care Through Nutrition
Long before becoming a health coach, I had a basic understanding of health literacy. Even after earning my certifications and master’s degrees, my experience remained largely academic.
Becoming an autoimmune patient changed that.
Instead of making health decisions based on theory alone, I began researching what had worked for other women with similar autoimmune conditions. I tested nutrition-based strategies while staying in communication with my healthcare team.
They were understandably skeptical. I listened, but forged ahead implementing my plan. We monitored my progress together.
After months of no improvement, my labs finally changed. When my care team asked what I had done differently, the answer was simple. I applied what I had learned and advocated for myself. Eventually, they suggested pausing my medication to see what would happen.
Five years later, I have not gone back on it.
I genuinely believe it was health literacy, not luck, that made that outcome possible. My ability to find, understand, and use health information changed how I navigated my care.
What This Means for You?
Health literacy is not just for patients. Providers and advocates need it too.
That is why I’m hosting a 30-minute class titled “How to Build Health Literacy That Actually Helps in Care and Advocacy.”
By the end of the class, you will walk away with:
Three simple steps to turn information overload into clear, usable action
A repeatable framework for weighing tests, risks, and options without overwhelm
A practical strategy for applying what you learn in real care and advocacy conversations
And one more thing.
When you attend live, you’ll receive The Health Companion Checklist, a tool to help you assess whether health information is actually credible.
Because sometimes it’s not just the message that deserves scrutiny. It’s the messenger. 😉
This is very relevant and amazing information, Tomesha. I applaud your journey of not playing the victim and taking solution strategies into your own hands. I hope many people will benefit from your wisdom based on your own experience, knowing that there is no one size fits all in health.