Practice of health literacy education emphasizing “judgment and choice” of health information in schools

Abstract

In modern society, there is an abundance of health information whose veracity is unclear, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain appropriate health information. In order to live in the information society of the future, it is important to develop the ability to critically examine health information and select appropriate information in school education before becoming a patient or a person concerned, rather than the ability to collect information. Health information literacy is the core of health literacy, which judges, selects, and makes decisions about health information. Media literacy, science literacy, and statistical literacy, along with critical thinking, support health information literacy. On the other hand, judgment of health information through critical thinking is expected to be influenced by belief bias, and there are concerns about its limitations. Therefore, we proposed a future health information literacy education model that incorporates the components of critical thinking and the correction of belief bias. In order to deal with the current situation in schools where it is not possible to secure sufficient time for health education due to reductions in the number of class hours, and to respond to new health issues that may arise in the future, we believe that it is effective to utilize health information literacy education in which children themselves collect and critically examine health information, select appropriate information based on scientific evidence, and use it to solve health issues, rather than providing health education for each health issue. We hope that this educational model will be utilized in primary and secondary education settings to further examine the practical application of health information literacy education, leading to the development of improved health information literacy education that is appropriate for each developmental stage.