Implementation of Health Literacy Promotion under the Health System Reform Plan in Thailand during 2015 to 2024: A Narrative Review
Keywords:
health literacy, progress, Thailand, action planAbstract
Thailand has been continuously promoting health literacy according to the National Reform Plan on Public Health since 2015. However, there is lack of systematic collection of data on the progress and challenges in health literacy promotion. This study aimed to present an overview of the development of health literacy promotion, the changes in the health literacy levels among Thai population, and the progress of Thailand's development and promotion of health literacy from 2015 to 2024. The study reviewed documents from surveys, official documents, and various reports related to health literacy promotion. The findings show that, overall, Thailand had made continuous progress in implementing health literacy promotion. There had been developments in policies, strategic plans, action plans, manuals, and working tools, as well as national surveys and project activities at the organizational, community, and individual levels. These actions were found among other countries as well. However, several challenges remained, including systemically integrating health literacy friendly practices into the existing systems, lack of practical indicators, and relatively limited implementation outside the public health sector. The future systematic promotion of health literacy requires support from all sectors to ensure that health literacy promotion would be integrated into health systems and societal activities.
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