Taking Stock of Health Literacy Activities in 2015

November 20, 2015 by Cynthia Baur

Another October and Health Literacy Month observance has come and gone, and we approach the end of a calendar year and all the stock-taking that often goes along with that.

Many familiar events took place once again in 2015.

Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit , a bi-annual event that draws national and international attendance and shares practice-based information on adult literacy and its implications for health, as well as health literacy research and practice
Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) annual health literacy meeting that also attracts participants from many countries with its mix of health literacy research and practice sessions
Health Literacy Annual Research Conference that brings together researchers from different disciplines and countries to share research and interventions

Health literacy even made it on the agenda of an international global development and health conference in Berlin. The World Health Summit , an annual gathering of international organization representatives, government officials, academics, civil society groups, and students, hosted a health literacy workshop with presenters from five countries.

In addition to these international and national events, many states, local organizations, and professional groups convened health literacy gatherings or included health literacy on their meeting agendas. In addition to the Wisconsin and IHA meetings, I’ve participated in state or regional meetings for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and provided health literacy information to professionals at meetings on substance abuse and mental health services, oral health, and food literacy.

What do all these professional activities tell us about the state of health literacy progress? Are we getting the leadership support we need to make change? Are we translating research into action? Are we making sure we’re paying attention to all social groups affected by limited health literacy?

Please tell us about health literacy activities in your state or country and if you think you’re making enough progress to improve health literacy in your corner of the world.

November 20, 2015 by Cynthia Baur

Health Literacy Events