Abstract
Improving health literacy (HL) requires substantial change across multiple levels, including health systems and organizations. A critical prerequisite is that HL gains the attention of politicians, decision makers in health administration and healthcare organizations. However, generating such awareness is challenging, as these stakeholders face strong competition from numerous other priorities. Moreover, effective communication with decision makers is often outside the core skill set of scientists and public health professionals. The need for greater support for HL advocacy was identified as a key development area in the 2025 WHO Action Network on Measuring Population and Organizational Health Literacy (M-POHL) survey on national HL policy journeys. To close the gap between HL policy and practice, the M-POHL launched the “Evidence-based Policy and Practice (EVPOP)” project (2023-2027). Drawing on data from M-POHL population surveys, the international EVPOP working group supports capacity building and develops tools for policy representatives. Most recently, to strengthen effective HL advocacy, the group developed a slide deck that presents a compelling case for HL and can be used to support communication with decision makers. A set of arguments supported by verifiable evidence was subsequently compiled and formatted to enable effective communication with policymakers The content was tested multiple times for clarity and practicability by representatives of M-POHL member countries, including policy representatives and selected stakeholders. The participatory development process of the slide deck was completed in April 2026. As communication with policy representatives and decision makers varies by context and topic, the slide deck is designed to be flexible. Users can select, adapt, and add content relevant to their specific context or target audience. M-POHL’s EVPOP project will advance the development of a second set of arguments focused on HL interventions.
Key messages
• Effective communication with policy makers remains a challenge, but it can be supported.
• M-POHL’s slide deck translates evidence on health literacy to a practical format.