New Directions in Research Theory and Practice. While health literacy is a relatively new multidisciplinary field, it is vital to the successful engagement with and communication of health with patients, caregivers, and the public.This book New Directions in Health Literacy Research, Theory, and Practice provides an introduction to health literacy research and practice and highlights similar scholarship in related disciplines. The book is organized as follows the first chapter explains the still-evolving definition of health literacy the next three chapters discuss developments and new directions in health literacy research, then