The EU needs to do more to better health literacy says MEP.

9.02.00am GMT Tue 25th Nov 2008

The EU needs to do more to better health literacy says MEP.

Local LibDem MEP Liz Lynne has today called on the EU to do more to help improve health literacy.

Her call comes after she signed a written declaration in the European Parliament highlighting the need for improvements in health literacy among EU citizens.

Currently very little has been done to assess the impact of poor health literacy in the EU but it is estimated than unhealthy decisions by EU citizens cost millions of pounds a year in healthcare costs as well as having a significant impact of the overall state of health within Member States.

Speaking today Liz Lynne, who is the Co-Chair of MEP's against Cancer, said that improving people's understanding of their healthcare choices was vital to creating a healthier population.

Liz said:

"It is very important we ensure that people are aware of their healthcare choices and the risks involved in some of the health decisions they may make. It is not up to politicians to dictate to people how to live their lives, but we must make sure they are able to understand all the information available before they make their decisions.

"For instance, recent research shows that only 1 in 3 people in the UK know that smoking can cause blindness. This is the type of information that could help lower the amount of people who take up smoking.

"Health is not directly under the remit of the European Union, nor in my opinion should it be, it is up to the individual Member States to decision what type of healthcare to provide their citizens. However, in areas such as health literacy, where we can learn from our European partners what systems work for getting information through to citizens, then it is important that the Member States work together.

"This is why I am calling on the European Commission, as well as the Member States to make sure that EU citizens are better informed about the types of decision that could lead to a longer, healthier life."

ENDS

Notes:

Health literacy means giving people a better understanding of health related issues. This includes ensuring that someone is able to understand the instructions on their prescriptions, but also more fundamental aspects of healthy living such as the importance of maintaining a healthy diet.

The written declaration, which will trigger a full debate in the European Parliament if signed by over half of the MEPs, calls on the European Commission and the Member States to undertake more research into the impact of health literacy upon healthcare within the EU. It also calls for the creation of an EU wide Health Literacy Network including all Member States in order to help raise the standards in health literacy across the EU.