We conducted an extensive literature search to determine the extent of health literacy interventions
currently ongoing within countries of the EMR. Six electronic data bases were searched as well as the
sites of some United Nations agencies, universities, and selected international and local non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). To ensure that as many interventions as possible were identified the scope of our
search included health literacy as it pertained to the “empowerment” aspects within health promotion,
as well as the dimensions of community development . The criterion for selection included any
interventions that addressed health literacy at the; functional (basic skills in reading and writing),
interactive (social skills that allow active participation in health care) and critical (the ability to
critically analyze and use information to participate in actions conducive to health) level.