I do not know what approaches are used globally, but first . I think - a Researcher shall measure the HL. There are a emerging number if instruments and there will be lot of work validating these instruments. Good luck!

Thank you Ina Schueler, Yes i am aware of different tools to measure HL but i wanted a perspective regarding how it is been improved among masses. thank you much again for the reply. good day.

Health literacy is becoming increasingly a crucial area of importance in public health. Firstly, it provides more citizen/client/patient empowerment. Secondly, it helps in compliance with health promotion and education campaigns for prevention of disease as well as compliance with health professional advice. 

One approach that is gaining a great deal of attention is technology and social media in promoting health literacy:

Manganello, J., Gerstner, G., Pergolino, K., Graham, Y., Falisi, A., & Strogatz, D. (2016). The Relationship of Health Literacy With Use of Digital Technology for Health Information: Implications for Public Health Practice. Journal of public health management and practice: JPHMP.

These authors conclude:

"While self-report health literacy does not appear to influence access to and use of digital technologies, there is a strong association with experiences searching for health information and preferences for health information sources. Public health agencies and organizations should consider the needs and preferences of people with low health literacy when determining channels for health information dissemination. They should also consider implementing interventions to develop health information-seeking skills in populations they serve and prepare information and materials that are easily accessible and understandable."

Thank you much Sandra, your answer was much helpful, but since I belong to a lower middle income country using digital media would not reach a large number of our rural masses. Since 1/100 people carry a smartphone here an approach through this medium might still work to close a major gap in health literacy.  

Regards

Practically nothing is done neither regarding Health Literacy nor Oral Health Literacy.

I should start as a part of the obligatory learning program in primary schools . Probably as part of the Biology Teaching .

Thank you for the response  Mr Arthur..  I agree the best age to bridge any gap is the youngest possible and hence it should start within the school and gradually extent outwards. 

Regards 

Hello Sudeep

please check the resources

Thank you Nirmala ma'am,  for the references. Shall read them and adopt. 

Regards 

U can recommend my answer

Health literacy should be taken as a part of life and socialize each individual from early childhood. Parents and family play important role, followed by playmate. The school, mainly the primary school, should focus health literacy issues more practically.

I agree with Prof. Sandra (Alexandra) Catherine Buttigieg.

Regards

SM Najim

Please look at this link:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4417207/

Regards 

Thank you much Mr Madhusudan Subedi, I agree with your answer regarding imparting health literacy to children, what about imparting the same to older individuals and middle aged, please share your insight regarding the same

Regards

Thank you dear Dr. Saeed Al Rasid .

Regards

Thank you Mr .Salah Mahdi Najim for agreeing with Prof. Sandra (Alexandra) Catherine Buttigieg. could you elaborate which part and the reason behind why you choose to agree.

Regards

Experts please share your insights, would like to know how and through what modalities health literacy is advocated to the masses and how they are carried out around the globe, please share you experience and thoughts.

Regards

Background

This article presents findings from a scoping review of tools used to measure oral health literacy. Internationally, interest in oral health literacy is driven by oral health disparities, particularly for disadvantaged groups, with conditions such as dental caries and periodontal disease contributing substantially to the global burden of disease. The increasing focus on measuring oral health literacy aligns with reasons for measuring broader health literacy, that is, by assessing oral health literacy, decisions can be made about instigating interventions at policy and practice level to improve individual and population level oral health. There are numerous tools available that measure oral health literacy using a range of indicators.

Methods

A scoping review was designed to map the existing tools designed to measure oral health literacy (OHL). Key search terms were developed and mapped. Selected databases were used that identified 32 relevant studies reporting a range of OHL tools.

Results

We identified 32 articles that reported a range of oral health literacy tools. Many of the studies used the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (REALD) and/or the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Dentistry (ToFHLiD) that were developed from earlier tools designed to measure broader health literacy. These tools have been widely criticized for providing only an approximate measure of OHL based mainly on word recognition. A number of newer tools have included new measures of oral health literacy including numeracy and oral health conceptual knowledge, however, tools that measure important indicators of oral health literacy such as service navigation are rare.

Conclusions

Findings from this scoping exercise confirm our findings from preliminary scans that the majority of tools are heavily biased towards word recognition, numeracy and reading skills, rather than what this means in terms of health behaviors and service utilization. More recent developments have attempted to incorporate other aspects considered important, including decision making and service navigation. The incorporation of these aspects into newer tools will provide oral health researchers and policy makers with further evidence of the importance of oral health literacy when designing interventions to improve oral health.

https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6831-14-148

Oral health literacy is a subset of health literacy. To improve health literacy, health education or patient education is crucial. Traditionally, printed patient education materials (PEMs) such as brochures, pamphlets, leaflets, booklets and flyers are used to disseminate health information from provision of knowledge to post-operative instructions. Nowadays, with common use of mobile gadgets, audio-visual PEMs such as mobile apps, multimedia and video are gaining popularity. Having said, evidence shows that most of these materials are difficult to read, understand and take action particularly for those with low health literacy with majority of them are socially deprived.

Globally, efforts to improve oral health literacy include community outreach programs, school-based education, mass media campaigns, and mobile dental clinics. Interactive technologies, workplace wellness initiatives, public policy, and strategic partnerships are also utilized. Tailoring messages to cultural contexts enhances effectiveness. These multifaceted approaches aim to raise awareness, provide education, and promote preventive oral health practices. Continuous evaluation and adaptation of programs are key for sustained success.