Pill Bottle Puzzle: Middle-Aged Americans Struggle to Read Medication Labels

Northwestern University researchers find that a sizable share of adults aged 35–64 have low or marginal health literacy (13.2% low, 19.3% marginal), and many struggle with reading pill bottles, dosing, and following doctor’s instructions. The MidCog project argues for clearer, plain-language drug labeling to help people manage multiple medications and chronic conditions, with ongoing follow-up to assess long-term health outcomes.