Public Libraries as Supportive Environments for Children’s Development of Critical Health Literacy

Catherine L. Jenkins (), Susie Sykes and Jane Wills
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Catherine L. Jenkins: Institute of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University, London SE1 0AA, UK
Susie Sykes: Institute of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University, London SE1 0AA, UK
Jane Wills: Institute of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University, London SE1 0AA, UK

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-14

Abstract: Critical health literacy enables individuals to use cognitive and social resources for informed action on the wider determinants of health. Promoting critical health literacy early in the life-course may contribute to improved health outcomes in the long term, but children’s opportunities to develop critical health literacy are limited and tend to be school-based. This study applies a settings-based approach to analyse the potential of public libraries in England to be supportive environments for children’s development of critical health literacy. The study adopted institutional ethnography as a framework to explore the public library as an everyday setting for children. A children’s advisory group informed the study design. Thirteen children and 19 public library staff and community stakeholders were interviewed. The study results indicated that the public library was not seen by children, staff, or community stakeholders as a setting for health. Its policies and structure purport to develop health literacy, but the political nature of critical health literacy was seen as outside its remit. A supersetting approach in which children’s everyday settings work together is proposed and a conceptual model of the public library role is presented.

Keywords: health literacy; children’s health literacy; critical health literacy; public libraries; settings-based approach; supersetting approach; supportive environments for health; social practice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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