We often only associate literacy with reading books or magazines, but there is so much more to it. Health literacy is measured as the degree to which an individual has the skills to comprehend and make informed choices based on the information given regarding their health.

In many countries, health literacy research, practice, and policy have been moving away from a focus only on medical care and health-care settings to a much broader conceptualization.

In this broader perspective, health literacy can be obtained and used across many other settings (e.g., school, home, workplaces, government) towards achieving health and wellness goals across the life-course for individuals, families, and communities. The education sector is a critical domain towards these achievements and education for health literacy is a fundamental process and outcome.

This can help towards important public health goals, including critical health literacy, as oriented not only towards individual actions but also towards supporting effective social and political action. This article describes the importance and utility of the education for health literacy perspective, which, follows a view that health literacy is a key outcome of health education from which improved population health, health promotion, and disease prevention could be achieved across diverse contexts.