You can get the Health Promotion Glossary on-line at: http://whqlibdoc.who.ch/hq/1998/WHO_HPR_HEP_98.1.pdf Below is the citation from a search of WHO publications: Class mark: WA 13 98HE Title: Health promotion glossary Publication info: Geneva World Health Organization 1998 Physical description: 24p. Type of material: WHO document Holdings note: ONLINE; RF.HQ Document no.: WHO/HPR/HEP/98.1 Language version: eng Broad subject: Education for Health Subject: Health promotion terminology dictionaries Corporate author: World Health Organization Division of Health Promotion, Education, and Communication Electronic access: http://whqlibdoc.who.ch/hq/1998/WHO_HPR_HEP_98.1.pdf Regards, Karen Serwonka >From: Tasha Beauchamp <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: Health Promotion on the Internet <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Health literacy >Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 11:50:48 -0800 > >This is great, Alana. Do you (or anyone else) have a full >citation for the Glossary? > >Tasha Beauchamp > > >On Wed, 21 Nov 2001 08:23:22 -0700 > Alana LaPerle <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > The WHO Health Promotion Glossary (1998) defines health > > literacy this way: > > > > Health literacy represents the cognitive and social > > skills which determine > > the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access > > to, understand and > > use information in ways which promote and maintain good > > health. > > > > Health literacy implies the achievement of a level of > > knowledge, personal > > skills and confidence to take action to improve personal > > and community > > health by changing personal lifestyles and living > > conditions. Thus, health > > literacy means more than being able to read pamphlets and > > make appointments. > > By improving people's access to health information, and > > their capacity to > > use it effectively, health literacy is critical to > > empowerment. Health > > literacy is itself dependent upon more general levels of > > literacy. Poor > > literacy can affect people's health directly by limiting > > their personal, > > social and cultural development, as well as hindering the > > development of > > health literacy. > > > > > > Alana _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp