Empowering Communities: Advancing Health Education and Literacy for Equity and Inclusion

Health education and health literacy are pivotal in public health, yet traditional approaches often emphasize individual behavior change at the expense of broader social, cultural, and organizational influences. Current challenges include persistent health disparities, mistrust in health systems, and gaps in access for marginalized communities. Recent research underscores the importance of considering health literacy as both an individual and a collective asset, situated within local contexts such as neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, grassroots services, and faith organizations. Community-based strategies that employ participatory action, peer-led programs, and culturally tailored interventions have demonstrated significant promise in helping populations navigate complex health information, especially in digital and media-rich environments. However, a need remains for stronger evidence on approaches that simultaneously advance empowerment, inclusivity, and the structural conditions affecting health. Critical debates persist on how best to translate these innovations into sustainable policies and practice, emphasizing the importance of evaluation and cross-sector partnership.This Research Topic aims to gather and advance multidisciplinary evidence on community-based approaches that strengthen health education and health literacy, placing equity and inclusion at the forefront. We seek to highlight work that integrates community empowerment perspectives (such as participatory co-design, community capacity building, and critical health literacy) and research focused on trust, cultural relevance, language, digital and media literacy, and organizational responsiveness. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Community-powered education and co-creation (peer and lay navigation, participatory research, culturally grounded approaches)• Empowerment and critical health literacy (self-advocacy, shared decision-making, collective agency)• Equity-focused outreach and engagement of marginalized groups (such as migrants, low-income, rural, or minority populations) across diverse settings• Digital and media health literacy, service navigation, and system responsiveness (including trauma-informed communication and AI-mediated environments)• Evaluation, scale, and policy for sustainable community health education (implementation science, partnerships, financing, and measuring outcomes beyond knowledge)Overall, the topic aims to inform how health education and health literacy can be developed and sustained in partnership with communities to reduce disparities and support healthier, more empowered lives. Topic editors: Payal Kahar, Jessica Roberts Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79288/empowering-communities-advancing-health-education-and-literacy-for-equity-and-inclusion