Health literacy is a key determinant of health, influencing people's ability to access, understand, evaluate and use health information and services. Strengthening health literacy can support healthier lifestyles, increase the uptake of preventive measures, improve health outcomes, and help reduce health inequalities across populations.
This report presents the results of a mapping of health literacy interventions across nine European countries, with a particular focus on initiatives that contribute to the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The findings highlight a diverse range of approaches addressing general, digital, mental, nutrition and oral health literacy, as well as efforts specifically designed to reach vulnerable and underserved population groups.
Using a structured assessment framework, the identified interventions were evaluated against criteria such as effectiveness, equity, sustainability, transferability and stakeholder participation. While several interventions were identified as promising practices, none fulfilled all the criteria required to be considered a best practice, underlining the need for stronger evidence and more systematic evaluation of health literacy interventions. The accompanying factsheet provides a concise overview of the methodology, key findings, and selected examples of good practice.
The full report and factsheet are available below.