{"id":32571,"date":"2024-05-17T12:04:24","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T10:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dthlab.org\/?page_id=32571"},"modified":"2024-07-02T14:40:15","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T12:40:15","slug":"digital-health-citizenship","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dthlab.org\/digital-health-citizenship\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Health Citizenship (DHC): Advancing Digital, Health and Civic Literacy through Intergenerational Dialogues"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Digital Health Citizenship (DHC): Advancing Digital, Health and Civic Literacy through Intergenerational Dialogues<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t#Youth<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t#DigitalHealthCitizenship<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tX-twitter<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedin<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNews<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t16 Apr. 2024<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t5 min.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

By Tomiwa Akinsanya, Whitney Gray and Maya Fakhfakh <\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Content<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Key takes<\/a><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

YWFPHA Scoping Exercise<\/a><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Conclusion<\/a><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Share it on<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tX-twitter<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedin<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Young Leaders and Parliamentarians Unite for UHC Day 2023 Virtual Town Hall<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Digital Health Citizenship<\/b><\/a> (DHC) emerges from the intersection of digital transformations, health, and citizenship. Recognising that individuals have rights, responsibilities and agency in the digital health landscape, digital health citizenship promotes active participation, informed decision-making and ethical use of digital health technologies and platforms that support improved health and well-being.<\/b><\/p>

Enfranchising young people to co-design and critically engage with digital first health systems is a core project of the Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab)\u00a0 as part of efforts to increase public participation and advance digital health citizenship. The DTH-Lab is partnering with youth-led organisations to assess the current perception of digital health citizenship in support of the co-creation of desired health outcomes, promotion of youth leadership and empowerment of a generation of informed and enfranchised digital health citizens.<\/span><\/p>

The DTH-Lab in collaboration with the Young World Federation of Public Health Associations (YWFPHA) co-hosted a <\/span>Global Public Health Week<\/b> intergenerational dialogue <\/b>entitled \u201c<\/span>Digital Health Citizenship: Advancing Digital, Health and Civic Literacy ” <\/b>on Tuesday 9 April 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The event highlighted the importance of empowering young people as a generation of enfranchised digital health citizens through improved investment and action. The DTH-Lab launched the <\/span>Digital Health Citizenship Survey<\/span><\/a> to evaluate the existing perception of digital health citizenship and to assess the key asks of young people on current gaps in knowledge in the digital, health and civic spaces<\/span>.<\/b><\/p>

The informal setting of the intergenerational dialogue promoted inclusivity and allowed participants to pose questions and raise their concerns to the speakers directly. <\/span>Moderated by the DTH-Lab\u2019s Project Coordinator Tomiwa Akinsanya and YWFPHA\u2019s Andrea Causio, speakers included opening remarks by Whitney Gray, Youth Engagement Coordinator of the DTH-Lab, Kristine Sorensen Executive Advisor and Founder of Global Health Literacy Academy,\u00a0 Petrider Paul Board Member at Imara Leadership Initiative, Imane Lakbachi Regional Youth Champion DTH-Lab, Sandra Cortesi Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center and the Director of the Youth and Media project, and Andrew Jack Global Education Editor Financial Times. The dialogue allowed speakers to share success stories and priority areas that need to be strengthened if DHC is to be realised. This event stood out for providing open dialogue for experts and participants to discuss digital health citizenship, present initial findings on the <\/span>Digital Health Interventions Impact on Health Literacy<\/span><\/i> from the YWFPHA and launch the DHC survey for young people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Key takeaways<\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Many young people<\/span><\/a> believe they lack the necessary skills, resources, and opportunities to fully embrace their potential roles as digital health citizens. This underscores the significance of education as a means of empowerment. <\/span>Sandra Cortesi, Executive Director of the Youth and Media Project at Berkman Klein Center for Internet Society at Harvard University <\/b>shed light on beneficial approaches to creating interventions for young people, \u201cwe need to look at the range of tools we have available and think more about leveraging educational approaches, especially when we consider young people [standing] at the intersection of digital technologies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Cortesi emphasised the speed at which things change in the digital space. Technologies evolve and so do the ways in which young people use them. This must be better reflected in the policies deployed. She emphasized that by the time policymakers and legal scholars develop and begin to action policies the tools have changed and the behaviors of young people may also be different. So, while policies and regulations are needed, it is far from the only approach needed when striving to improve digital citizenship. Education is crucial in promoting digital, health, and civic literacy both from a top down and a bottom up approach.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Kristine Sorensen, <\/b>Executive Advisor and Founder of the Global Health Literacy Academy emphasized the importance of governmental commitments and investments towards enhancing health literacy within educational institutions. Soresen stated, \u201cUnfortunately it\u2019s not every government that takes health literacy as a political choice, I’m still wondering why we don\u2019t have health and well-being as a subject in school. I hope that in the future we have schools where health and well-being are placed in the curriculum as a subject like Geography, Mathematics, and Biology, and although physical education is a good starting point, it simply is not enough. This is the starting point, this is the mission \u201d.<\/span><\/p>

Imane Lakbachi, <\/b>DTH-Lab Regional Youth Champion, pointed out that insufficient information and data act as obstacles for women and young girls in Morocco and beyond to become empowered digital health citizens.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u201cLack of information and data available to women and girls are significant barriers to their independence in the MENA region. A lot of women and girls have limited access and awareness of how policies are developed and how they are implemented or how they can participate in the process. This limits their ability to advocate\u00a0 for policies that affect their needs and reflect their interests and overall well-being.\u201d \u2013 <\/span>Imane Lakbachi<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Further emphasizing that all stakeholders must take collective responsibility in establishing ethical, digital and data governance structures to promote equitable health outcomes. <\/span>Petrider Paul, Board Member of Imara Leadership Initiative<\/b>, urged collaboration between stakeholders. Such collaborations drive the advancement of digital health citizenship through the effective use of digital technologies that empower people to participate in the design and governance of digital transformations for health.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>


Through the promotion of digital health citizenship people are enabled to participate in the design and governance of digital transformations of health and to co-create digital environments that promote equitable health and well-being. <\/span>Andrew Jack, Global Editor of the Financial Times <\/b>highlighted the need for technology and education to be cross-cutting when trying to improve the health and well-being of young people.\u00a0 \u201cThere is a pressing need to ensure fair and equitable access to technology, while also emphasizing its responsible use to promote digital health citizenship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

YWFPHA Scoping Exercise<\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

An international team from the USA, Turkey, Tunisia, India, Canada and Italy is conducting a significant systematic review titled \u201cDigital Health Interventions\u2019 Impact on Health Literacy.\u201d <\/span>Maya Fakhfakh, Young World Federation Public Health Association,<\/b> shared the preliminary findings of the review highlighting a key objective of better understanding how digital tools are transforming health literacy, a fundamental component for effective public health outcomes in a digitally connected world.<\/span><\/p>

This ongoing double-blind review adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)<\/span>[1]<\/span> guidelines and is framed by the WHO Classification of digital interventions, services and applications in health<\/span>[2]<\/span>. Currently, the team is finalising the data extraction phase with plans to assess the impact and analyze the efficacy of a range of digital health interventions.<\/span><\/p>

This contribution is substantial as we engage in conversations about empowering young and diverse populations to shape the digital health landscape as informed, proactive citizens in their health management. With the pressing need to address the digital divide the review hopes to push fair and equitable access to technology offering insights that support the creation of more inclusive digital health environments and facilitating equitable access to health information and services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The insights collected thus far aim to advance the discourse on digital health citizenship while underscoring the potential of digital technologies to enhance health literacy across diverse demographic segments. The evidence-based conclusions drawn from this systematic review will inform policy and practice, guide healthcare policymakers and practitioners on which digital strategies are most effective for enhancing health literacy and optimize health outcomes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Conclusion<\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Underscoring the various issues in promoting digital health citizenship highlighted by the intergenerational dialogues, we call upon governments, international organizations, and other stakeholders to create concrete actions that aim to empower young people to become enfranchised digital health citizens by implementing the following recommendations:<\/span><\/p>