Development and implementation of a community health literacy hub, 'Health Kiosk'-A grassroots innovation

Abstract

Being health literate is important to get sufficient health information, to navigate the health system, to access appropriate care and to be able to self-manage health. As such it is a key determinant of health. There is a need for innovative measures to improve health literacy among people living in socioeconomically vulnerable circumstances. Literature shows that this innovation needs to: have "low-threshold access" to health resources in a community-based, outreaching way; be adapted to the needs of the target group; provide reliable and understandable health information adapted to the target population, and support people in developing confidence to act on that knowledge. In response to this need, this article describes-guided by the principles underpinning the Integrated Community Care (ICC) framework-the development and implementation process of a grassroots innovation, namely "Health Kiosk" in a socioeconomically vulnerable area in the northern part of a Belgian city. To be able to focus on the core activity of the Health Kiosk-i.e., stimulating healthy living and health literacy-community building and considering the spatial environment of the neighborhood formed a fundamental basis. Several core ingredients of the Health Kiosk are important to stimulate health literacy among socioeconomically vulnerable groups, namely: (1) working in a community-based, outreaching way; (2) providing accessible health information and support to act on that knowledge; and (3) working in a flexible and independent way to adapt to local needs. As such, the Health Kiosk forms a community health literacy hub with low-threshold access for people living in socioeconomically vulnerable circumstances.

Keywords: Health Kiosk; grassroots innovation; health literacy; healthy living; integrated community care framework; outreach working; socioeconomically vulnerable groups.