The report identifies policies and other relevant documents through an
evidence review of peer-reviewed and grey literature, supplemented by an
inquiry of experts in health, health literacy and policy in the Region
and by health literacy policies included in the most recent
peer-reviewed document on health literacy activities published in the
Region (European Union (EU) countries only: HEALIT4EU). Further efforts
to identify policies from countries of the Commonwealth of Independent
States were unfruitful.
Based on this evidence synthesis, the following policy considerations
are proposed:
- consider the existing policies and related activities gathered in this
review to develop or enhance health literacy policies and related
activities to benefit citizens, patients and communities;
- broaden the range of areas of activity required for holistic health
literacy policies to include the lived environment, the workplace, the
media and digital/e-health, at all societal levels: individual,
community, organization and system (legislative);
- strengthen the evidence base for health literacy at all societal
levels to ensure that policies address needs specific to the national or
local context;
- incorporate robust qualitative and quantitative evaluations into
health literacy policies and interventions; quantitative methods could
include pre- and post-activity health literacy evaluations of evidence
of health, social and economic effects at all levels; and incorporate
facilitators of successful implementation, such as intersectoral
working, political leadership and strategies to overcome cultural
barriers, into health literacy policy.
Member States would benefit from adopting such comprehensive frameworks
and using metrics to design effective policies that support the
development of a health-literate Europe.
