EU Health Literacy Survey
Ireland is one of eight European countries participating in the first EU Health Literacy Survey. The EU survey will provide the first real insight into the effect that low health literacy has on society and allow steps to be put in place to ensure that any issues are addressed.
Ireland’s participation in the survey was funded by the European Agency for Health and Consumers, the Department of Health and Children (through National Lottery funding) and UCD. This commitment by the Department of Health ensures that Ireland is at the forefront of the health literacy agenda within Europe. The EU Health Literacy Survey findings will be published in June 2011 by Maastricht University, the University hosting the survey project.
Some of the expected outcomes of the research include the:
- creation of comparable data on health literacy in eight European countries,
- setting up of the first multi-national expert group on health literacy in Europe, and
- development of strategies to implement health literacy policies for each country.
As part of the survey, a Health Literacy National Advisory Panel has been established in Ireland. The role of the advisory panel is to:
- enable the survey findings to be transferred into practical political action,
- establish long-term working structures, and
- provide advice on priority setting for national health literacy strategies.
For more information on the EU Health Literacy Survey visit www.health-literacy.eu