Considering Children and Health Literacy: A Theoretical Approach

The theoretical approaches of Paulo Freire, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky frame the consideration of children and health literacy. This article includes a general discussion of literacy from the Freirian perspective. A definition of health literacy is then presented; first, the established meaning is introduced, but then a Freirian extension is proposed. Next, the theories of cognitive development by Piaget and Vygotsky are discussed, and examples related to children's health literacy are given. Finally, there is a discussion of why it is important to encourage and enable health literacy among children and adolescents.