Abstract
People in modern society are expected to actively engage in the management of their health and to make a wide range of health decisions. Skills in understanding and applying information about health issues may have a substantial impact on health behaviors and health outcomes. These skills have recently been conceptualized as health literacy (HL) , defined as "the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand, and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health" by WHO. Based on this conceptualization, Nutbeam proposed a model of HL that includes three levels: (1) basic/functional literacy, (2) communicative/interactive literacy, and (3) critical literacy. In this paper, we report the results of our previous studies developing HL scales in Japan, and discuss the importance of HL in improving health communication in our society.
