Facade of the DOH main office in Manila. INQUIRER.net file photo
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said boosting the health literacy of individuals is crucial in building healthy communities.
Dr. Miguel Mantaring, DOH health promotion bureau division chief, said it is important for the public to be aware of things that affect one’s health.
“At an individual level, it’s really about increasing our health literacy, so if we are knowledgeable about those factors which contribute to our health–what is healthy, what is not–then, we contribute to healthy settings by lobbying and advocating for our settings to be healthy,” he said at a DOH Kapihan session.
“It’s not a privilege. It’s not something that is nice to have, but something that we should be demanding for,” he added.
Health literacy was listed as one of the key strategies in the Health Promotion Framework Strategy 2023-2028, along with healthy governance and settings.
“We’re not just increasing the literacy of people for their capacity to understand what they need to do to live healthier lives, but making our settings more enabling and supportive for Filipinos to live healthier lives,” Mantaring said.
He also pointed out the need to improve “baseline factors” such as socioeconomic factors, physical environment, health behaviors and healthcare “to help people make healthy decisions easier.”
Mantaring also underscored the “need to be present in our local community and supported by our local decision makers.” — Niña Cuasay, INQUIRER.net trainee