Health literacy refers to the ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Health literacy is not just an individual resource but has positive effects for the larger community because it can help mobilize resources to address the social, economic, and environmental determinants of health.

While it is the primary role of governments to ensure that the population is literate in health issues, individuals and community leaders can also play their part in providing risk communication and information during crises, and harnessing the power of social media to amplify important messages around healthcare access and good practices for promoting health and preventing disease.

Efforts to promote health literacy should ensure that information is accurate, accessible, and actionable.