Health Promotion Forum

Health literacy: An empowering health promotion strategy to foster equitable population well-being, sustainably and globally

Moderator:  Prof. Diane Levin-Zamir, PhD, MPH, MCHES; Israel; National Director, Dept. of Health Education and Promotion; Clalit Health Services; School of Public Health, University of Haifa; Chair, National Council on Health Promotion, Israel Ministry of Health 

Speakers: 

• Prof. em. Jürgen M. Pelikan, PhD; Austria; University of Vienna; Director, WHO-CC Health Promotion in Hospitals and Health Care at Gesundheit Österreich GmbH; Co-chair research of the WHO Action Network M-POHL
• Elena T. Carbone, DrPH, RD, LDN, FAND; USA; Professor, Department of Nutrition and Associate Dean for Curriculum and Academic Oversight; University of Massachusetts
• Kristine Sørensen, PhD; Denmark; Global Health Literacy Academy; Switzerland; President, International Health Literacy Association (IHLA)
• Prof. Orkan Okan, Dr. phil.; Germany; Technical University Munich; Department of Sport and Health Sciences; Health Literacy

Organized by WHO Action Network on Measuring Population and Organizational Health Literacy (M-POHL) and International Health Literacy Association (IHLA)

Since health literacy was highlighted as a critical determinant of health by the WHO Shanghai Declaration in 2016, the world has changed, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Health literacy skills are critical to manage information and make decisions for health and well-being, especially regarding the challenges of the pandemic. Health literacy empowers individuals, organizations, and societies to make informed judgments about health matters, leads to improved health outcomes and well-being, as well as increased health equity. Various studies in the past several years have confirmed that health literacy is an asset for societal health and well-being and partly mitigates the effects of the ongoing unprecedented global health crisis. In this panel, the speakers will focus on different perspectives of health literacy, present key findings and evidence from recent international studies, and explore how health literacy can be integrated into future health promotion research, practice, and policy.