Health literacy in challenging contexts : the potential of social counselling services

Wieber, Frank; Ackermann, Günter; Juvalta, Sibylle; Marti, Simona

Publication type:	Conference other
Type of review:	Peer review (abstract)
Title:	Health literacy in challenging contexts : the potential of social counselling services
Authors:	Wieber, Frank Ackermann, Günter Juvalta, Sibylle Marti, Simona
et. al:	No
Conference details:	Swiss Public Health Conference, 7. Stakeholderkonferenz Nationale Strategie zur Prävention nichtübertragbarer Krankheiten (NCD), Bern, Schweiz, 13.-14. September 2022
Issue Date:	14-Sep-2022
Language:	English
Subjects:	Health literacy; Social counselling; Challenging life situations; Gesundheitswesen
Subject (DDC):	614: Public health and prevention of disease
Abstract:	Background. Health literacy as the ability to find, understand, assess, and apply information to prevent and manage diseases and promote health is crucial to promoting, maintaining and restoring health. However, people in challenging life situations (e.g., financial deprivation, lack of social support, unemployment, chronic diseases) have been found to have lower health literacy (De Gani et al., 2021). Social counselling organizations offer a great potential to reach people in difficult life situations and provide services to promote health literacy. This potential has not yet been explored. Methods. On behalf of the Alliance for Health Literacy, the Institute of Public Health at the ZHAW conducted a needs assessment of professionals from social counselling organizations and their clients from October 2020 to August 2021. To gain an understanding of challenging life situations and their influence on health literacy, interviews were conducted with six professionals from three social counselling organizations. Furthermore, thirteen clients of these organizations were interviewed about their life situation and health literacy in guided interviews and analyzed using qualitative content analyses. The findings from these client interviews were then discussed in a focus group with the professionals from the social counselling organizations as well as in meetings with the interdisciplinary advisory group. Results. Interviewed persons had sufficient to excellent health literacy in many areas (e.g. knowledge of health-promoting/health-hindering factors). However, clear competence limits and a need for information and support also emerged. Burdening factors were, in particular, a precarious financial situation and the resulting stress, multiple burdens due to work/continuing education and family, a lack of career and life perspectives, as well as a lack of support from the social environment or the authorities. Conclusions. These findings illustrate that the barriers to good health can only partly to be attributed to low individual health literacy. Rather, they emphasize the importance of health-promoting conditions in the physical and social environment. We discuss measures such as the development of resources for professionals of social counselling organizations to further health literacy and health behaviors in individuals in challenging contexts.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/27380
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	School of Health Sciences
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Public Health (IPH)
Published as part of the ZHAW project:	Gesundheitskompetenz in herausfordernden Kontexten
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Gesundheit

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Wieber, F., Ackermann, G., Juvalta, S., & Marti, S. (2022, September 14). Health literacy in challenging contexts : the potential of social counselling services. Swiss Public Health Conference, 7. Stakeholderkonferenz Nationale Strategie Zur Prävention Nichtübertragbarer Krankheiten (NCD), Bern, Schweiz, 13.-14. September 2022.

Wieber, F. et al. (2022) ‘Health literacy in challenging contexts : the potential of social counselling services’, in Swiss Public Health Conference, 7. Stakeholderkonferenz Nationale Strategie zur Prävention nichtübertragbarer Krankheiten (NCD), Bern, Schweiz, 13.-14. September 2022.

F. Wieber, G. Ackermann, S. Juvalta, and S. Marti, “Health literacy in challenging contexts : the potential of social counselling services,” in Swiss Public Health Conference, 7. Stakeholderkonferenz Nationale Strategie zur Prävention nichtübertragbarer Krankheiten (NCD), Bern, Schweiz, 13.-14. September 2022, Sep. 2022.

WIEBER, Frank, Günter ACKERMANN, Sibylle JUVALTA und Simona MARTI, 2022. Health literacy in challenging contexts : the potential of social counselling services. In: Swiss Public Health Conference, 7. Stakeholderkonferenz Nationale Strategie zur Prävention nichtübertragbarer Krankheiten (NCD), Bern, Schweiz, 13.-14. September 2022. Conference presentation. 14 September 2022

Wieber, Frank, Günter Ackermann, Sibylle Juvalta, and Simona Marti. 2022. “Health Literacy in Challenging Contexts : The Potential of Social Counselling Services.” Conference presentation. In Swiss Public Health Conference, 7. Stakeholderkonferenz Nationale Strategie Zur Prävention Nichtübertragbarer Krankheiten (NCD), Bern, Schweiz, 13.-14. September 2022.

Wieber, Frank, et al. “Health Literacy in Challenging Contexts : The Potential of Social Counselling Services.” Swiss Public Health Conference, 7. Stakeholderkonferenz Nationale Strategie Zur Prävention Nichtübertragbarer Krankheiten (NCD), Bern, Schweiz, 13.-14. September 2022, 2022.