Health literacy and health crisis: the example of COVID-19

Implementation and enforcement of COVID-19 control measures are essential to limit the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, these actions are very difficult, if not impossible, for part of the population, mainly present in the socio-economically disadvantaged categories. This difficulty is linked, on the one hand, to the lack of health literacy, which is found to be insufficient among almost a third of the European population, and on the other hand, to their increased exposure to the virus. Difficulty in reading and acquiring health measures therefore leads to a challenge for institutions, a socio-economic gap and impacts on future generations. There is therefore no choice than to invest massively in education and health promotion in the long term to minimize the impact of crises and thus limit the increase in inequalities.