The vision and mission of M-POHL is to improve health literacy in the WHO European Region. This requires high-quality and internationally comparative data to support evidence-informed political decisions and targeted practice interventions, but also the collection and synthesis of evidence on effective policies and interventions. The EVPOP project focuses on the latter.
Factsheet on EVPOP.
The WHO Action Network M-POHL is based on an advanced understanding of health literacy as a comprehensive and relational concept. Therefore, M-POHL aims not only at measuring population health literacy, but also at assessing organizational health literacy, respectively the health literacy responsiveness or friendliness of healthcare organizations.
By focusing on healthcare organizations, health policy can choose from or combine two different strategies to improve health literacy: providing learning opportunities for people to improve their personal health literacy and investing in the developing of healthcare organizations to become more transparent and user-friendly, even for people with limited personal health literacy. A health literate healthcare organization should make it easier for all its stakeholders (patients, staff, the community it serves) to access, to understand, to appraise and to apply health-related information for maintaining and improving their health.
WHO’s Health Literacy: The solid facts underlines the importance of regular comparative health literacy surveys in Europe. The Health Literacy Survey 2019-2021 (HLS19) was therefore the first project of M-POHL. Its aim was to measure population health literacy across the WHO European Region.
To establish a regular monitoring of health literacy in the WHO European Region, M-POHL has committed to conduct health literacy surveys every five years. The next population health literacy survey, the Health Literacy Survey 2024-2026 (HLS24), will allow countries that already participated in HLS19 to compare with HLS24 results and new countries to initiate measuring population health literacy in their county. All countries in the WHO European Region are welcome to participate in HLS24, but also countries outside the WHO European Region can participate as associated partners. For more information see HLS24 and the HLS24 Factsheet.
The recording of the webinar which was held on 25 May in the framework of the European Public Health Week can be found here. The Webinar was initiated by the Swedish Health Literacy Network and organized together with the EUPHA Health Literacy Section, M-POHL, the Aging Research Center at Karolinska Institutet and the Technical University of Munich.
Peace being a fundamental prerequisite for health was acknowledged in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion in 1986. M-POHL builds on this affirmation and considers its collective efforts on health literacy as work for promoting equity, justice, and peace. M-POHL is aware that during times of crises, health must remain a priority and the right to health and access to services must always be protected. M-POHL as a WHO Action Network, supports the mandate and commitment of the WHO to ensure the best possible health and well-being of all people in all situations, including humanitarian crises and conflicts. The work of M-POHL is founded on mutual understanding and respect, constructiveness, and a strong commitment to humanity and peace.
The International Report on the Methodology, Results, and Recommendations of the European Health Literacy Population Survey 2019-2021 (HLS19) of M-POHL was released on 15 December 2021.
It presents results for 17 WHO-European countries. A total of 42,445 interviews were included in the study. Results for General health literacy (HL), its determinants and consequences, as well as for four specific measures of health literacy are shown: Navigational HL, Communicative HL with physicians, Digital HL, and Vaccination HL. Additionally, results on HL for health-related quality of life as a mediator for health costs are presented. The HLS19 instruments, which were developed as part of the project, were validated and their psychometric properties are presented. For each type of HL the most difficult tasks and disadvantaged vulnerable subpopulations were identified. A social gradient was demonstrated for all countries, albeit differing in degree across countries. Summing up, the results demonstrate the relevance of General and specific HLs for a considerable proportion of adult residents with low HLs, a social gradient for HLs, and significant potential effects of HLs on health-relevant indicators. Based on the HLS19 results recommendations for policy, practice, and research were developed and consented for national and European health policy.
The full report, as well as a short summary and an executive summary can be found HERE.
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WHO Action Network on Measuring Population and Organizational Health Literacy (M-POHL)Health literacy is increasingly on the political agenda of the member states of WHO Europe. The Action Network on Measuring Population and Organizational Health Literacy (M-POHL) was founded under the umbrella of WHO´s European Health Information Initiative (EHII) in February 2018 with the adoption of the Vienna Statement on the measurement of population and organizational health literacy in Europe in order to add value to national efforts in improving health literacy. According to M-POHL’s Concept Note, the main aim of the network is to generate data on population and organizational health literacy to support evidence-informed (policy) decisions and interventions. In the Governance and Work Structure of M-POHL roles, responsibilities and decision structures in the M-POHL Action Network are outlined in detail. For more details see the Factsheet M-POHL.
Peace being a fundamental prerequisite for health was acknowledged in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion in 1986. M-POHL builds on this affirmation and considers its collective efforts on health literacy as work for promoting equity, justice, and peace. M-POHL is aware that during times of crises, health must remain a priority and the right to health and access to services must always be protected. M-POHL as a WHO Action Network, supports the mandate and commitment of the WHO to ensure the best possible health and well-being of all people in all situations, including humanitarian crises and conflicts. The work of M-POHL is founded on mutual understanding and respect, constructiveness, and a strong commitment to humanity and peace.
Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit
Organizational Health Literacy Toolkit
HeLLO TAS! Toolkit - Toolkit for Health Literacy Learning Organizations
Patient and family engagement module of the CUSP Toolkit
Building Health Literate Organizations: A guidebook to achieving organizational change
The Gippsland Guide to becoming a Health Literate Organization
Make it easy: a handbook for becoming a Health Literate Organization
NALA Guide on becoming Literacy Friendly Organization
A Checklist for Health Literate Organizations
Health Literacy Online: A guide for simplifying the user experience
Making Health Literacy real: The beginnings of my organization’s plan for action
Health Literacy Framework: A guide to action
Health Literacy Review: A guide
“What did the doctor say?:” Improving Health Literacy to protect patient safety
Always Use Teach-back! Toolkit
Praxisleitfaden zur Entwicklung einer gesundheitskompetenten Organisation
Methodenbox: Die gesundheitsbezogene Sozialversicherung
Universität Bielefeld: Gesundheitskompetenz. Verständlich informieren und beraten
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