🚨 1 in 3 people do not understand health information: and your audiences?
🔍💡 Literacy & self-care: 12 concrete ideas to adapt your materials, your activities and your local outreach to people who are disengaging from health information. An international brief to be shared with all field workers.
📌 This document answers a question that every field worker asks: why do so many people misunderstand health information, even simple ones — self-medication leaflets, labelling, pharmacy advice? It proposes an operational concept, ‘self-care literacy’, a concrete extension of health literacy, and illustrates it through two typical personas (high / low literacy) that allow for quick identification of the audiences to prioritise support for. The 12 action points (policies, information, capacity building) serve as a checklist to structure a local project, a workshop or a pitch to decision-makers.
Source :📒 Literacy in "self-care"
✍️ Self-Care Literacy (policy brief) - Global Self-Care Federation (GSCF), in partnership with the Global Health Literacy Academy (Kristine Sørensen) — foreword by Judy Stenmark, Director General of the GSCF📜🔗LIEN vers la source
1️⃣ ANALYTICAL SUMMARY
1️⃣·1️⃣ A sub-domain of health literacy that has become essential
The document starts from a documented observation: health literacy — the ability to access, understand, evaluate and apply health information — is limited in more than one in three people in Europe, and up to two in three in some countries (HLS-EU, p. 7). The second European survey (HLS19, 17 countries) confirms an average of 46% of adults with insufficient or problematic literacy (p. 8). In the face of ageing, the rise of chronic diseases and the anticipated shortage of health professionals by 2035, self-care (self-medication, self-monitoring, daily prevention) becomes a pillar of health systems — provided it is backed by solid health education, failing which it leads to incorrect self-diagnoses and late decisions (p. 5).
1️⃣·2️⃣ Two consumer profiles, twelve action paths
The specific contribution of the brief is to break down health literacy into "self-care literacy" and make it manageable: two detailed personas (high literacy: female profile, affluent, connected; low literacy: 65 years and older, precarious, not confident) map their journeys, motivations, emotions and barriers (p. 15-17, 19-20). The document then translates the gap into strategies: universal information precautions, involvement of pharmacists, simplified labelling, user involvement in the design of tools, and 12 opportunities structured into four areas — political impact, information-communication, capacity building, evidence (p. 21-23).
2️⃣ KEY POINTS OF THE DOCUMENT
1️⃣ Health literacy is a modifiable social determinant: investing in literacy strategies improves prevention, disease management and health protection in times of crisis (p. 10).
2️⃣ Self-care has a measured economic potential: in Australia, estimated savings of 1,300 to 7,515 dollars per hospitalised patient per year; in the United States, 1 dollar spent on over-the-counter medications saves more than 7 dollars for the system (p. 12).
3️⃣ The Self-Care Readiness Index (launched in 2021) identifies four levers: stakeholder support, user empowerment, health policy favouring self-care, regulatory environment (p. 13).
4️⃣ Low self-care literacy is not a matter of degree: many unconfident individuals have a high level of education; targeting should focus on confidence and situation, not on education level (p. 17).
5️⃣ The principle of "universal precautions": produce simple and verifiable information for all, as it is impossible to visually identify who reads well or poorly (p. 21) — which directly relates to the FALC logic and plain language.
3️⃣ ACTION POINTS FOR LOCAL ACTORS
1️⃣ Apply the principle of universal precautions (p. 21): consistently rewrite your materials (leaflets, instructions, displays) in plain language and test their understanding with real users before dissemination.
2️⃣ Involve pharmacists as a priority relay for people with low literacy: they are the professional closest to the self-medication consumer (p. 20-21) — organise cross-training sessions between animation/pharmacy.
3️⃣ Prioritise targeting those aged 65 and over and people in precarity, using the personas from the document (p. 16-17) as a quick screening grid in interviews or animations.
4️⃣ Involve users in the design of tools: the document recommends involving consumers in the planning, design and evaluation of information and products (p. 19, 22) — create a user test group from the writing phase.
5️⃣ Train teams and volunteers in techniques for checking understanding (rephrasing, limiting key messages): strengthening the capacities of professionals is a key focus of the document (p. 14, 23).
6️⃣ Use the 12 opportunities (p. 22-23) as a framework for argumentation with local decision-makers — notably the measurement of literacy as a tracking indicator (point 11).
Unmet needs / adaptations : the document remains focused on self-medication and the "consumer" journey; social and healthcare actors will need to transpose personas to non-consumer audiences (support, integration) and supplement with French-speaking references (see section 4️⃣).
4️⃣ ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
🔍➕ For more information, see the articles referenced by "Health Practices" on the theme of health and work ➡️🔗https://www.pratiquesensante.com/litteratie
1️⃣ WHO (2025) — Integrative Review of National Health Literacy Policy Blueprints as a Tool for Change toward Health Literate Systems, 22 p. Directly extends the "political impact" section of the brief with national literacy plans.
URL : https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240113138
2️⃣ Council of Europe (March 2026) — K. Sørensen, Promoting health literacy and human rights to reduce stigma and discrimination : extends the brief with an analysis stigmatisation/discrimination in 8 priority groups, with european roadmap.
URL : https://rm.coe.int/promoting-health-literacy-and-human-rights-to-reduce-stigma-and-discri/48802aeace
3️⃣ Swiss Red Cross / migesplus / OFSP (2025) — For accessible and easy-to-understand health information : operational guide with checklist (plan–produce–disseminate) to reach disadvantaged audiences — the field version of tracks 4 to 7 of the brief.
URL : https://www.prevention.ch/files/publicimages/Documentation/SRK_BAG_Leitfaden_FR_online.pdf
5️⃣ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
1️⃣ What is « self-care literacy » exactly? It is the ability of individuals, families and communities to find, understand, evaluate and use information to promote their health, prevent illness and cope with it, with or without a healthcare professional (p. 5, 14).
2️⃣ What proportion of the population is affected by limited literacy? More than one in three in the HLS-EU study, and up to two in three in some countries; on average in the European HLS19, 46% of adults are in an insufficient or problematic situation (p. 7-8).
3️⃣ Who are the people with low self-care literacy? Mostly those aged 65 and over, often in precarious or unemployed situations, with low confidence in their ability to understand and decide — without education level being a reliable criterion (p. 17).
4️⃣ Why do we talk about « universal precautions » ? Because you cannot visually identify who understands poorly; simple, clear and verifiable information must be the rule for all audiences (p. 21).
5️⃣ What role for pharmacists? They are identified as the closest professional link to self-medication consumers, able to break down the barriers of communication with people with low literacy (p. 20-21).
6️⃣ What economic benefits are documented? Savings of 1,300 to 7,515 dollars per patient per year in Australia; in the United States, over 7 dollars saved for every dollar spent on self-medication (p. 12).
7️⃣ What are the 12 proposed avenues? Four aspects: political impact (mobilising advocates, driving the agenda, global coalition), information-communication (clarity, user-friendliness, media quality, targeting at-risk groups), capacity building (education, vocational training, digital literacy, supportive organisations), evidence (data, research) (p. 22-23).
6️⃣ REWRITING IN PLAIN LANGUAGE
📖 In brief: understand and act for your health
What is this document about?
Many people do not understand health information well. In Europe, nearly one in two is affected. This document explains how to help everyone understand better. It discusses over-the-counter medications and daily actions to stay healthy.
Why is it important?
Health systems are under pressure. There are more and more chronic patients. People need to learn to take care of themselves. But without good information, they can make mistakes. They may wait too long before seeking help.
✅ The 5 key ideas to remember
1️⃣ One in two people struggles with health information.
2️⃣ We need to write simply for everyone, all the time.
3️⃣ Elderly and vulnerable people need help as a priority.
4️⃣ Pharmacists can help a lot.
5️⃣ We need to ask users for their opinions when we create a tool.
(Faithful to the original meaning; the word "literacy" is intentionally replaced by "understanding health information".)
7️⃣ CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYSIS — VALUES OF HEALTH PRACTICES
Literacy : tools adapted to varied levels — yes, through the principle of universal precautions and the simplification of labelling (p. 21-22), but the brief remains conceptual, without an operational writing framework.
Empowerment : at the heart of the document — strengthening self-esteem to decide, involving users in the design and evaluation (p. 19, 22).
Participation : co-construction recommended on several occasions: discussion groups, user testing, involvement in product design (p. 19, 22).
Community health : present — the family and community dimension is included in the WHO definitions and the " investment in high health literate consumers at community level " (p. 5, 19).
Ethics : mentioned (WHO principles of ethics and human rights, p. 11), but cultural biases are not analysed as such.
Human rights : oui — l'autosoins est explicitement rattaché aux droits humains et à l'équité (p. 11) ; le gradient social des inégalités de littératie est documenté (p. 8, 10).
Intersectorialité : forte — approche holistique multi-acteurs, multi-secteurs (p. 6, 9) et coalition mondiale recommandée (p. 22).
Partenariat : formalisé via le Self-Care Readiness Index et les alliances de parties prenantes, pharmaciens en tête (p. 13, 21).
Lutte contre les discriminations : partiellement — les populations marginalisées et le gradient socio-économique sont nommés (p. 10, 23), mais ni le stigma ni la diversité culturelle ne font l'objet d'un traitement dédié (à compléter avec le rapport Conseil de l'Europe 2026, section 4️⃣).
8️⃣ ÉVALUATION DE LA FIABILITÉ DE LA RESSOURCE
Pertinence scientifique — Sources réelles et traçables : Sørensen et al. 2012 (BMC Public Health), enquêtes HLS-EU et HLS19 (M-POHL), OMS 2021 pour les dépenses mondiales de santé, revue de littérature (scoping review) commanditée par la GSCF. Données HLS19 correctement reportées. Deux limites à signaler honnêtement : (1) la revue de littérature n'est pas publiée ni détaillée dans le document — non vérifiable en l'état ; (2) la GSCF fédère les associations et fabricants de l'industrie de l'automédication — le brief a une légitimité d'acteur de terrain, mais l'argumentaire économique en faveur de l'automédication doit être lu avec cette appartenance en tête (p. 24).
Pertinence opérationnelle — Good: usable personas as a mapping grid, 12 actionable tracks, stabilised definitions (WHO, Sørensen) directly quotable in a local argument. Average for direct use in animation: no ready-to-use tools (no writing checklist, no workshop sheet), hence the complementary references proposed section 4️⃣.
9️⃣ STRATEGIC HASHTAGS
#healthpractices #HealthLiteracy #SelfCare #SelfMedication #HealthPromotion #Empowerment #ClearLanguage #CommunityHealth
This article was developed in accordance with the Charter
of the use of artificial intelligence of Health Practices.
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