The Norwegian Perspective

There is increasing awareness among Norwegian policymakers about the importance of enhancing and supporting people’s health literacy. The interdisciplinary topic of public health and life skills (PHLS) was recently implemented as part of the national curriculum reform for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education in Norway. PHLS emphasizes the importance of skills, attitudes, and knowledge that contribute to obtaining and sustaining health and well-being throughout childhood and adolescence and over the life-course. Its introduction may be seen as a response to the increasing prevalence of mental health problems among children and young people. The purpose of this chapter is to give insight into PHLS and examine if and how health literacy can contribute to operationalizing it. Addressing health literacy through PHLS may significantly contribute to mediating the causes and effects of established social determinants of health. Challenges and opportunities for the successful implementation of health literacy initiatives in schools are discussed. There are several important premises for implementation, including establishing health literacy as a central aspect of PHLS, clarifying roles and supporting interprofessional collaboration, introducing health literacy in higher education, and increasing research on health literacy initiatives.