[Establishing and implementing the National Action Plan Health Literacy in Germany].

Abstract

About ten years ago, studies on health literacy in Germany indicated that population health literacy was low. This prompted a group of distinguished experts to initiate the development of a National Action Plan for Health Literacy (NAP-HL) for Germany, modeled after those of other countries. This article explains the origins and development of the plan in Germany, provides an overview of the steps taken during its creation, and summarizes its content. Subsequently, the transfer strategy, including the three steps of diffusion, dissemination, and implementation, is discussed. The concluding assessment evaluates the plan's achieved impacts and critically reflects on the implementation strategy. Overall, numerous impulses were provided for agenda setting and the promotion of health literacy. The challenge remains to develop sustainable interventions for strengthening health literacy, accompanied by systematic research.