Open AccessIncreasing Health Literacy in China to Combat Noncommunicable Diseases
Author(s) -
Jing Yang,
Yang Gao,
Zhuoqun Wang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
china cdc weekly
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2097-3101
pISSN - 2096-7071
DOI - 10.46234/ccdcw2020.248
Subject(s) - health literacy , china , government (linguistics) , competence (human resources) , literacy , public health , public relations , medicine , health promotion , health education , political science , psychology , medical education , nursing , health care , pedagogy , social psychology , philosophy , linguistics , law
Health literacy involves knowledge, motivation, and competence to access, understand, appraise, and apply health information to make judgments and make decisions every day to maintain or improve quality of life. It is of great importance to the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, and society and plays a crucial role in noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention and control. Recognizing that health literacy is a public health challenge in China, the Chinese government has been making great effort to address this issue. This paper presented a general overview of health literacy status in China with a focus on NCDs, described China's challenges and practices in improving health literacy, and provided suggestions to decision makers, practitioners, and researchers to address the needs of health literacy in China.