Health literacy and community empowerment: It is more than just reading, writing and counting

Abstract

The concept of health literacy is evolving. The re-emergence of Freireian-inspired health literacy projects moves the conceptualisation of health literacy from merely the ability to apply functional literacy skills in a health-care context to a wider ability to exert control over the determinants of health. This article presents an example of a community-based project that adopts an empowerment education model in health literacy. Based within a small indigenous community in the Philippines, participants were engaged in critical reflection to gain a better understanding of how health is conceptualised within their socio-economic and political environment and its implications for practice, power relations and subjective experiences. The article concludes with the assertion that although developing health literacy skills is important, we must never lose sight of unbalanced power relations and unfair structures that hinder positive social change.