Health Literacy, Empowerment and HIV/AIDS: Striking a Balance on an Uneven Playing Field

A relatively new arena of public health practice, known as health promotion, attempts to address the underlying determinants of health, including social, cultural, economic and political factors, which contribute to global health inequities. The concept of health literacy, though still in the process of gaining universal recognition and utilization, has developed from this perspective and is a key outcome of health promotion, as well as conventional information, education and communication (IEC) initiatives. Within the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, the following paper discusses the need to develop health literacy programs and goals based on empowerment and human rights education models designed to facilitate societal level changes. Lessons learned from past HIV/AIDS prevention approaches and characteristics of successful empowerment strategies are presented. Examples of potential best practices in health literacy using traditional media and popular entertainment tools, including promising Internet-based initiatives, are given. Lastly, several policy and practice recommendations are made relative to the advancement of health literacy in sub-Saharan Africa as a weapon against the further progression of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.