Health literacy
Health literacy empowers people to make positive choices. It implies the achievement of a level of knowledge, personal skills and confidence to take action to improve personal and community health by changing personal lifestyles and living conditions. Thus, health literacy means more than being able to read pamphlets and make appointments. Health literacy is an enabler that supports the promotion of equity by improving people’s access to health information, and their capacity to use it effectively.
WHO believes in an inclusive view of health literacy, broadly defining it as “the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health”. The concept of health literacy has evolved significantly since its introduction, and now includes a complex and interconnected set of abilities.
