Presented by

Dr. Marta Fadda

Health literacy (HL), traditionally defined as “the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health” (Nutbeam, 2000), is a strong predictor of a number of patient-related outcomes, including health status and health behaviors such as medication adherence. Furthermore, HL is correlated with health disparities and it represents a reason for unnecessary health-related expenditures. Despite international efforts to improve our understanding of HL, its implications, measurement and promotion, the scientific literature on HL stemming from the MENA region is scarce. Considering that HL is context-specific and its conceptualization, operationalization and advancement need to take into account individual, social, political and environmental factors, the goal of this workshop is to raise awareness of HL and reflect on ways to apply the lessons learned from previous studies on HL to the specific features of the Middle Eastern context. Through interactions and small group assignments, the workshop will cover four key issues in relation to health literacy: (1) HL as a driver of patient-related outcomes and a source of health disparities, (2) current definitions of HL, including their strengths and weaknesses, (3) available HL measurement tools, including those that have been validated in Arabic, and (4) small- and large-scale interventions to promote patients’ HL. Lectures will be interactive and followed by practical activities where participants will be asked to apply their own knowledge and experience in relation to the four issues covered during the workshop.