Health Education Research, Vol. 17, No. 3, 287-290,
June 2002
© 2002 Oxford University Press
EDITORIAL |
Health literacy: new wine in old bottles?
UK Editor
Health promotion seems to have rediscovered health literacy. This is not merely a case of reviving a useful concept; rather it would seem to involve re-packaging a number of other important concepts central to the ideological commitments, and the theory and practice of health promotion. This trend is not just an unnecessary exercise in re-branding, but rather a development that risks creating confusion, and threatens the refinement and sophistication of existing health education and health promotion theory. This Editorial will explore the meaning of health literacy proper, and, in particular, will challenge the appropriateness of using the term to re-define the territory that has, so far, been more appropriately mapped by existing conceptualizations of individual and community empowerment.
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Literacy and health |
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Literacy has a clear and unequivocal dictionary definition: `the ability to read and write; the ability to use language proficiently'. The term `literate', on the other hand, can be used not only
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Health literacy defined |
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Health literacy: expanded definitions |
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The empowerment dimension |
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Re-packaging health literacy: a step too far? |
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References |
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