건강소양 향상을 위한 전략

Abstract

Health literacy is emerging as an important public health issue in the 21st century. Strengthening people's health literacy is the only and most powerful way to not only improve the health and wellness of each individual, but also to solve the problem of health inequality caused by social and economic disparities and the problem of rapidly increasing medical costs as the population ages. However, research on health literacy is still insufficient in Korea, and in particular, there is little research on practical measures to improve health literacy in adults.
 Lifestyle medicine, which has emerged as a fundamental solution to prevent and treat chronic diseases, which are called diseases of the 21st century, has already systematized the knowledge and technology of health literacy, so if a route to disseminate this is secured, projects to promote national health literacy can be carried out quickly.
 This study examines the definition and significance of health literacy and the background of the emergence of lifestyle medicine and its effects, then explores specific routes for implementing national health literacy education centered on lifestyle medicine, with online universities and religious facilities as the promising routes proposed.
 Since health literacy education must be conducted as part of lifelong education, formal educational institutions, social welfare facilities, religious facilities, workplaces, etc. can all serve as sites for health literacy education and practice. In particular, online universities are expected to play the most central role in many aspects, including their purpose, capability for content development, and operating system. Religious facilities are also social capital that can make a significant contribution as a center of health literacy education and mutual care in regional communities.