ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the roles of health services in promoting literacy development in general and health literacy in particular. The promotion of literacy by health services is part of a holistic approach to infant and child health in which language and literacy is understood as one domain within healthy development overall. The promotion of health literacy specifically is concerned with supporting health consumers to navigate the literacy demands of the health information landscape, often with a focus on teens and adults. This exploration is based on a literature review, surveying papers from across public health, pediatrics, early childhood studies, and literacy studies. It surveys the state of research and practice, including studies of read-aloud programs, language development support, and health literacy promotion, and raises challenging issues including commercialization and cultural responsiveness. It concludes by proposing a conceptual bridge between the fields of literacy studies and health literacy to support greater collaboration in future.
