Levin-Zamir Diane, Leung Angela Yee Man, Dodson Sarity, Rowlands Gillian
Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Centre for Gerontological Nursing, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
Stud Health Technol Inform. 2017;240:392-414.
International and cultural perspectives of health literacy help deepen the understanding of the global context within which health literacy plays an important role. Throughout this chapter, we explore the significance of health literacy initiatives, interventions, practices, and research for addressing health challenges on a variety of levels in the international and global context. More specifically, in this chapter, the notion of health literacy as a dynamic construct is introduced, after which we examine health literacy throughout the life course, emphasizing the impact of health literacy among children and the elderly in their families and in the community. Cultural norms and family interpersonal relations, and values influence health literacy and need to be considered when closing the health literacy disparities. Global trends of migration and immigration bring to the forefront the need for unravelling the complexity of health systems, for which health literacy plays a central role; health literacy initiatives address cultural differences between providers and patients to help narrow the communication gap. The importance of cultural competency among health care providers exemplifies how capacity building in health literacy is critical for maximizing the benefits to the public of the health care system. Health literacy provides a conceptual foundation for community participatory research, involving members of the public to take part in the planning, execution and evaluation of health education interventions. Throughout the chapter, selected case studies and picture boxes from around the globe, exemplify aforementioned topics of interest, showcased in the chapter. Practical recommendations for policy makers, practitioners and research are offered based on the studies conducted in the international context.
健康素养的国际和文化视角有助于加深对其发挥重要作用的全球背景的理解。在本章中，我们探讨健康素养倡议、干预措施、实践和研究对于在国际和全球背景下应对各级健康挑战的重要性。更具体地说，本章引入了将健康素养视为动态概念的理念，之后我们考察贯穿生命历程的健康素养，强调健康素养对儿童和老年人在家庭及社区中的影响。文化规范、家庭人际关系和价值观会影响健康素养，在消除健康素养差距时需要加以考虑。全球移民趋势凸显了解开卫生系统复杂性的必要性，而健康素养在其中发挥着核心作用；健康素养倡议解决了医疗服务提供者与患者之间的文化差异，以帮助缩小沟通差距。医疗服务提供者具备文化能力的重要性体现了健康素养能力建设对于使医疗系统为公众带来最大利益的关键作用。健康素养为社区参与性研究提供了概念基础，让公众成员参与健康教育干预措施的规划、实施和评估。在整章中，来自全球各地的选定案例研究和图片框举例说明了本章所展示的上述感兴趣的主题。基于在国际背景下开展的研究，为政策制定者、从业者和研究人员提供了实际建议。
