TY - JOUR
T1 - Health literacy measurement
T2 - embracing diversity in a strengths-based approach to promote health and equity, and avoid epistemic injustice
AU - Osborne, Richard H.
AU - Cheng, Christina C.
AU - Nolte, Sandra
AU - Elmer, Shandell
AU - Besancon, Stephane
AU - Budhathoki, Shyam Sundar
AU - Debussche, Xavier
AU - Dias, Sónia
AU - Kolarčik, Peter
AU - Loureiro, Maria Isabel
AU - Maindal, Helle
AU - Nascimento Do O, Dulce
AU - Smith, James A.
AU - Wahl, Astrid
AU - Elsworth, Gerald R.
AU - Hawkins, Melanie
N1 - Funding Information:
RHO was funded in part through the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Principal Research Fellowship #APP1155125.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Author(s) (or their employer(s)).
PY - 2022/9/8
Y1 - 2022/9/8
N2 - Definitions of health literacy have evolved from notions of health-related literacy to a multidimensional concept that incorporates the importance of social and cultural knowledge, practices and contexts. This evolution is evident in the development of instruments that seek to measure health literacy in different ways. Health literacy measurement is important for global health because diverse stakeholders, including the WHO, use these data to inform health practice and policy, and to understand sources of inequity. In this Practice paper, we explore the potential for negative consequences, bias and epistemic injustice to occur when health literacy instruments are used across settings without due regard for the lived experiences of people in various contexts from whom data are collected. A health literacy measurement approach that is emic-sensitive, strengths based and solution oriented is needed to minimise biased data interpretation and use and to avoid epistemic injustice.
AB - Definitions of health literacy have evolved from notions of health-related literacy to a multidimensional concept that incorporates the importance of social and cultural knowledge, practices and contexts. This evolution is evident in the development of instruments that seek to measure health literacy in different ways. Health literacy measurement is important for global health because diverse stakeholders, including the WHO, use these data to inform health practice and policy, and to understand sources of inequity. In this Practice paper, we explore the potential for negative consequences, bias and epistemic injustice to occur when health literacy instruments are used across settings without due regard for the lived experiences of people in various contexts from whom data are collected. A health literacy measurement approach that is emic-sensitive, strengths based and solution oriented is needed to minimise biased data interpretation and use and to avoid epistemic injustice.
KW - community-based survey
KW - health education and promotion
KW - health policy
KW - health services research
KW - public health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85138188870&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009623
DO - 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009623
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85138188870
SN - 2059-7908
VL - 7
JO - BMJ Global Health
JF - BMJ Global Health
IS - 9
M1 - e009623
ER -