Health literacy as an imperative to health inclusivity
Chatham House | 2026-02-22 | health
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English Summary
Chatham House argues that health literacy is a core lever for health inclusivity and, by extension, national economic resilience in a more competitive and fragmented geopolitical environment. The event frames the case through Economist Impact’s Health Inclusivity Index findings and practical case studies, linking stronger prevention and better individual health decisions to higher productivity, labour participation, and lower social welfare burdens. Its reasoning is that conflict, aid shifts, and economic imbalances are widening disparities, so coordinated action by governments, business, and civil society is needed to scale effective local models while keeping them grounded in lived experience. The strategic implication is that policymakers should treat health literacy as an economic and health-security investment, using cross-sector partnerships, measurable outcomes, and adaptable cross-border implementation models.
中文摘要
英國皇家國際事務研究所（Chatham House）主張，健康識能是促進健康包容性的核心槓桿，並在地緣政治競爭加劇且日益碎片化的環境中，進一步關係到國家經濟韌性。該活動以 Economist Impact《健康包容性指數》的研究結果與實務案例為論證框架，指出強化預防與改善個人健康決策可提升生產力與勞動參與，同時降低社會福利負擔。其論述認為，衝突、援助流向變化與經濟失衡正在擴大健康不平等，因此政府、企業與公民社會必須協同行動，在貼近民眾真實生活經驗的前提下，擴大有效在地模式。其策略意涵在於，政策制定者應將健康識能視為經濟與健康安全投資，透過跨部門夥伴關係、可衡量成果與可調適的跨境推行模型加以落實。
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