Health Product Literacy Communication: Case study Food Products

Abstract

Strengthening people’s health literacy is considered a national agenda which is defined in the 20-year National Strategy Plan, the National Economic and Social Development Plan and the National Health Development Plan.  The Food and Drug Administration, an organization whose main role is to protect people's health from consuming health products, has developed communication operations for health product literacy. Since it is recognized that health products literacy affects the people’s health – that is when a person has knowledge of health products they will be capable to take care of themselves as well as guide their friends, family, community and society.  Health product literacy development is constantly needed to keep up with the transforming diseases so that people can access, understand and use daily health information correctly and appropriately.

After the operations driven for health product literacy communication, it can be seen that every sector has important roles in sharing, studying, seeking and designing guidelines that are appropriate to the context.  Action and policy recommendations for relevant agencies to implement are as follows: (1) announce “the health-for- all policy” together with related agencies and provide policy guidance that supports health and equality in all sectors; (2) enforce laws and regulations strictly to combat harmful health products; (3) empower people with common interest or create networks in communities, government agencies, private sectors, civil societies and in various online media to strengthen  surveillance, enhance health learning skills and purchase health products appropriately; (4) create Big Data on health product to be a reference source and exchange platform among service providers and service recipients; (5) develop channels for public access using both one-way and two-way communication.; (6) use media influencer of online media, offline media and local communities to to draw public attention, as well as reduce language communication barriers by using language easily comprehensible and accessible for consumers; and (7) request entrepreneurs for cooperation in social marketing by changing marketing model from focusing on selling products to assert ideas for social change.