Description
In face of the grand global crises and challenges our societies are confronted with – including the environmental challenges like the climate change, the air pollution, the loss of biodiversity and associated with this the pervasive risk of epidemics and antimicrobial resistance – health literacy plays an essential role not only for human, but also for animal and environmental health. Moreover, informed and sound decisions on health and well-being respecting One Health principles represent an even greater challenge for citizens. New approaches of being able to adequately address and cope with these challenges, as well as new aspects, components, and applications needed to be integrated into the concept and understanding of health literacy. Therefore, we aimed at taking a first step into this direction and challenge the current concept of health literacy by co-creating a new understanding of this crucial health determinant. This initiative was supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and the National Health Literacy Alliance.
Based on a literature review, we conducted six interviews with healthcare and public health experts in the field of research, policy, and practice from the three main linguistic regions in Switzerland on their understanding of health literacy. We also established an advisory board consisting of Swiss health literacy experts to guide and support the process. Based on several iterative reflections together with all the involved people we developed a revised and consented working definition of health literacy and published it as a concept paper on health literacy in four languages.
Considering this work, we understand health literacy as “a bundle of competences to proactively deal with health-related information, services, and challenges and, thereby, empowers people to manage their and other’s health and well-being”. Health literacy thus enables people to proactively find, understand, appraise, and apply this information with the aim to empower them to make sound decisions and to face challenges and maintain or improve their own but also other’s health and well-being. By mentioning other’s health and well-being, also that of animals and our planet are addressed. We also defined so-called health literacy enablers, which are understood as “practices, processes, structures, and policies of various actors within and beyond institutional, sectoral, or regional boundaries through which people are empowered to develop and strengthen their health literacy”. Finally, this revised concept of health literacy is based on seven key principles, i.e., integrating people, integrating the context, addressing health equity, inherent relationality, central life and future skill, managing complexity and uncertainties, and multi-level and multi-dimensionality.
Whit this work we were able to make a first step to 1) establish a common ground for health literacy in Switzerland, and 2) to consider the current global social but also environmental challenges and complexities which are related to the health of us humans, the animals and our planet. This understanding lays the ground for developing strategies and measures to improve citizens’ health literacy in order to promote the health and well-being of all.
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