Abstract
Health literacy (HL) is a critical determinant of health (WHO-Shanghai Declaration, 2016), i.e. of healthy life styles, of indicators of health status and of use and results of health care services. For Europe the European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-EU) in 2011 demonstrated, that a considerable proportion of general populations in the researched 8 European countries (and in more countries in later surveys) had limited health literacy and that there was a considerable social gradient of health literacy. The HLS-EU study also showed that HL impacted certain health risks, important indicators of health status and of use of professional health services. But besides these general trends for all researched European countries, there existed considerable variations in distributions and associations of health literacy between the researched countries.
Thus, since knowledge on health literacy of populations is relevant for planning health policy, the Solid Facts - Health Literacy of WHO-Europe (2013) recommended regular monitoring of population health literacy by standardized procedures. Since HL now is understood as a relational concept, HL can be measured on a personal or an organizational systems level. Also measures to improve HL can try to improve personal HL by offering better opportunities for learning or by developing Health Literate Organizations or settings to be more sensitive to personal HL of their users and be less demanding and more supportive for users.
Therefore in 2017 the Action Network on Measuring Population and Organizational Health Literacy (M-POHL) was initiated under the umbrella of the European Health Information Initiative (EHII) by WHO-Europe. M-POHL from its beginning combines a policy with a research agenda. About 25 member states of WHO-Europe already joined M-POHL. As a first project the European Health Survey 2019 (HLS19) is ongoing with 15 countries participating.
The workshop will inform about the vision and mission of M-POHL, about the methodology of the on-going HLS19 survey and about the way selected countries are using monitoring of HL for their health policy. Following 5 short inputs (60′), including two more general ones M-POHL and HLS19 and three on perspectives from countries, participants will have the opportunity (30`) to ask questions and discuss what M-POHL and HLS19 means or could mean for health policy of their country and their personal research or policy interests.
Key messages
Health literacy is a critical determinant of health which has to be monitored for general populations in all countries of WHO-Europe as a basis for national and European health policy. The Action Network of Measuring Population and Organizational Health Literacy (M-POHL) of WHO-Europe has started the Health Literacy Survey 2019 to provide data for evidenced-based health policy.
Workshop: A methodology for monitoring population health literacy in Europe – the HLS19 project