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Cited by 471Health Literacy and Information AccessibilityPatient-Provider Communication in HealthcareLiteracy, Media, and Education

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 93 of the 94 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Critical health literacy: A review and critical analysis

Chinn, Deborah·2011·Social Science & Medicine
DOI 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.04.004
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Abstract

Though there has been a considerable expansion of interest in the health literacy concept worldwide, there has also been criticism that this concept has been poorly defined, that it stretches the idea of "literacy" to an indefensible extent and more specifically, that it adds little to the existing concerns and intervention approaches of the better established discipline of health promotion. This paper takes as a starting point the expanded model of health literacy advanced by Nutbeam (2000) and addresses these concerns by interrogating the concept of "critical health literacy" in order to draw conclusions about its utility for advancing the health of individuals and communities. The constituent domains of critical health literacy are identified; namely information appraisal, understanding the social determinants of health, and collective action, and as far as possible each are clearly delineated, with links to related concepts made explicit. The paper concludes that an appreciation of work undertaken in a range of different disciplines, such as media studies, medical sociology, and evidence-based medicine can enhance our understanding of the critical health literacy construct and help us understand its usefulness as a social asset which helps individuals towards a critical engagement with health information. There is some evidence that aspects of critical health literacy have indeed been found to be a resource for better health outcomes, but more research is needed in this area, both to develop quantitative and qualitative approaches to evaluating health literacy skills, and to offer convincing evidence that investment in programmes designed to enhance critical health literacy are worthwhile.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.04.004

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  1. Zola, 1983, The medicalizing of society, Socio-Medical Inquiries: Recollections, Reflections and Reconsiderations, 24

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Metadata

Authors
Chinn, D.
Affiliations
King's College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Chinn, Deborah
ORCID
Chinn, Deborah
Venue
Social Science & Medicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-07
Volume
73
Issue
1
Pages
60-67
ISSN
0277-9536 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.04.004
OpenAlex
W2081960713
Cited by
471
References
94
Citations by year
2026: 28 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 40 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 48 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 19
FWCI
36.87
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Social Science & Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust Research and Development Committee
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
  • Social Sciences › Education › Literacy, Media, and Education
Keywords
critical health literacy, health literacy, information evaluation, social determinants of health, collective action, health promotion, health information, health literacy interventions
MeSH terms
Health Promotion, Humans, Health Status Disparities, Consumer Health Information, Health Literacy

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