Budhathoki Shyam Sundar, Pokharel Paras K, Good Suvajee, Limbu Sajani, Bhattachan Meika, Osborne Richard H
School of Public Health & Community Medicine, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, 56700, Nepal.
World Health Organization, South-East Asia Regional Office, New Delhi, India.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2017 Mar 27;17(1):237. doi: 10.1186/s12913-017-2183-6.
Health literacy has been linked to health outcomes across population groups around the world. Nepal, a low income country, experiences the double burden of highly prevalent communicable as well as non-communicable diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) has positioned health literacy as a key mechanism to meet the health-related Sustainable Development Goal (SDG3). However, there is little known about the status of health literacy in developing countries such as Nepal. This paper aims to review the potential of health literacy to address SDG3 in Nepal.
A rapid review was conducted using the knowledge to action evidence summary approach. Articles included in the review were those reporting on barriers to health care engagements in Nepal published in English language between January 2000 and December 2015.
Barriers for healthcare engagement included knowledge and education as strong factors, followed by culture, gender roles, quality of service and cost of services. These barriers influence the Nepalese community to access and engage with services, and make and enact healthcare decisions, not only at the individual level but at the family level. These factors are directly linked to health literacy. Health literacy is a pivotal determinant of understanding, accessing and using health information and health services, it is important that the health literacy needs of the people be addressed.
Locally identified and developed health literacy interventions may provide opportunities for systematic improvements in health to address impediments to healthcare in Nepal. Further research on health literacy and implementation of health literacy interventions may help reduce inequalities and increase the responsiveness of health systems which could potentially facilitate Nepal to meet the sustainable development goals. While there is currently little in place for health literacy to impact on the SDG3, this paper generates insights into health literacy's potential role.
健康素养与世界各地不同人群的健康结果相关联。尼泊尔作为一个低收入国家，面临着高流行的传染病和非传染病的双重负担。世界卫生组织（WHO）已将健康素养定位为实现与健康相关的可持续发展目标（SDG3）的关键机制。然而，对于像尼泊尔这样的发展中国家的健康素养状况知之甚少。本文旨在探讨健康素养在尼泊尔实现SDG3方面的潜力。
采用知识到行动证据总结方法进行快速综述。纳入综述的文章是那些2000年1月至2015年12月期间以英文发表的关于尼泊尔医疗保健参与障碍的报道。
医疗保健参与的障碍包括知识和教育等重要因素，其次是文化、性别角色、服务质量和服务成本。这些障碍不仅在个人层面，而且在家庭层面影响尼泊尔社区获得和参与服务以及做出和实施医疗保健决策。这些因素与健康素养直接相关。健康素养是理解、获取和使用健康信息及健康服务的关键决定因素，解决民众的健康素养需求很重要。
当地确定和制定的健康素养干预措施可能为系统改善健康提供机会，以解决尼泊尔医疗保健的障碍。对健康素养的进一步研究以及健康素养干预措施的实施可能有助于减少不平等现象，并提高卫生系统的响应能力，这有可能促进尼泊尔实现可持续发展目标。虽然目前健康素养对SDG3的影响很小，但本文对健康素养的潜在作用提供了见解。
