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Abstract
(1) Background: This article adopts an interdisciplinary perspective to analyse, examine, and reflect upon prominent health literacy (HL) understandings in childhood and youth. (2) Method: The conceptual analysis combined Rodgers’ and Jabareen’s approaches to conceptual analysis in eight phases. (3) Results: First, we present exploratory entry points for developing a child-specific HL understanding based on the six dimensions of a ‘health-literacy 6D model’. Second, we describe and reflect upon five meta-level dimensions covering the HL definitions and models for children and youth found in the conceptual analysis. Third, we integrate our findings into a target-group-centred HL definition for children and youth. (4) Discussion/Conclusion: This article raises awareness for the heterogeneity of the current conceptual HL debate. It offers a multidisciplinary approach for advancing the existing understanding of HL. Four recommendations for future actions are deduced from the following four principles, which are inherent to the proposed target-group-centred HL definition: (a) to characterize HL from an asset-based perspective, (b) to consider HL as socially embedded and distributed, (c) to recognize that HL develops both in phases and in flexible ways, and (d) to consider the multimodal nature of health-related information. Further research is necessary to test the feasibility and applicability of the proposed definition and conceptual understanding in both research and practice.
Highlights
This section argues for the need to recognize children and youth as a distinctive target group for health literacy and to integrate their characteristics, needs, assets, and perspectives into target-group-specific health literacy definitions and concepts
Drawing on and extending past ‘D’ models proposed by, among others, Rothman et al [20], all dimensions start with the letter ‘D’ and represent exploratory entry points for developing a child-specific health literacy understanding (Figure 1)
The entry points emphasize how and in what ways children and young people are a unique target group compared to the general adult population
Summary
From an early age onwards, children and young people are exposed to and have to deal with different, often complex health-related information and messages coming from various sources [1].Health literacy, commonly defined as comprising a broad range of knowledge and competencies, can empower children and young people to seek, engage with, and use health information to enable and access health-promoting activities [2,3].Through health literacy competencies, people become able to understand themselves, others and the world in a way that will enable them to make sound health decisions, and to work on and change the factors that constitute their own and others’ health chances [2].Fairbrother, Curtis, and Goyder [1] have drawn attention to children’s health literacy practices in accessing and understanding health information and their reliance on their embodiedInt. From an early age onwards, children and young people are exposed to and have to deal with different, often complex health-related information and messages coming from various sources [1]. Commonly defined as comprising a broad range of knowledge and competencies, can empower children and young people to seek, engage with, and use health information to enable and access health-promoting activities [2,3]. People become able to understand themselves, others and the world in a way that will enable them to make sound health decisions, and to work on and change the factors that constitute their own and others’ health chances [2]. Fairbrother, Curtis, and Goyder [1] have drawn attention to children’s health literacy practices in accessing and understanding health information and their reliance on their embodied. Public Health 2019, 16, 3417; doi:10.3390/ijerph16183417 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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