9.B. Scientific session: Promoting health in the digital age: a room to improve health literacy and digital health literacy?
Authors:   Organised by: EUPHA-DH, -HL, -HP, University of Pavia (Italy), WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Literacy, Technical University of Munich (Germany),   Chair persons: Anna Odone (EUPHA-DH -IDC), Eric Breton (France)
Published: October 2024

The workshop aims to explore innovative approaches to promoting health literacy and digital health literacy and their impact on individual and community health outcomes at different stages of life. This initiative is driven by the recognition that digital platforms and tools offer unprecedented opportunities to improve population health through health education and behavior change. The workshop will feature a dynamic and interactive format starting from plenary sessions in which speakers will provide insights into digital health promotion best practices and their outcomes, offering diverse perspectives. The added value of organizing this workshop lies in its comprehensive approach to integrating digital tools into health prevention strategies, particularly for addressing childhood smoking. By examining innovative digital interventions, the workshop provides a platform for sharing insights and strategies that leverage technology to promote healthier lifestyles among youth. This is increasingly pertinent as digital platforms become central in the daily interactions of young people. The coherence between the presentations revolves around the theme of enhancing digital health literacy as a preventive measure against health issues. The first presentation sets the stage by exploring digital tools that educate and engage young people about the dangers of smoking. The subsequent session builds on this by assessing the current state of digital health education and literacy, emphasizing the need for curriculum integration and better training for educators to support these initiatives effectively. Finally, the meta-analysis presentation ties everything together by evaluating the effectiveness of these digital interventions across various demographics, offering evidence-based recommendations for tailoring health literacy programs to diverse needs. Together, these presentations form a cohesive narrative on the critical role of digital literacy in health prevention, illustrating a clear pathway from educational content to educational infrastructure, and culminating in broad-based intervention strategies that can be adapted to different settings and populations. This coherence enhances the workshop’s impact, providing attendees with a well-rounded understanding of how digital tools can be harnessed to foster long-term health improvements from an early age. Live Q&A sessions will encourage dialogue between speakers and attendees, enhancing the learning experience. By combining expert knowledge with interactive discussions, the workshop aims to share insights needed to implement effective digital health promotion strategies.

Key messages

• The role of health literacy and digital health literacy in improving health outcomes demands that the efficacy of the most effective strategies be evaluated.

• Digital tools offer opportunities for innovative health promotion approaches and tools.