The Canadian Public Health Association held its second literacy and health conference, Staying the Course: Literacy and Health in the First Decade, in Ottawa on October 17-19, 2004 (www.cpha.ca/literacyandhealth/). We thought Literacies should be there and that literacy and health should be the focus of the fall 2004 web forum.

What are the connections between literacy and health? Between literacy and wellness? Some believe that people who do not read and write well are a danger to both themselves and others—they misunderstand instructions, mis-administer medication, and make unhealthy lifestyle choices. But have you ever left a medical appointment scratching your head at what the health care provider meant? Have you ever wondered what your doctor assumed about how you live and what you can afford? Perhaps communication and economics are more central to literacy than we usually acknowledge. And perhaps literacy is an issue for everyone—not just for people who do not read and write well.  

Tannis Atkinson
 Literacies editor