Closing remarks

The project you presented so clearly and, in such detail, made me reflect on what has been done in Portugal regarding health literacy aimed at disadvantaged populations. Actually, the Directorate-General of Health, which is a governmental institution, developed a national Health Literacy Action Plan since 2019 and carried out a representative national survey using the short-form of the HLS₁₉‑Q12 under the larger M-POHL consortium (the European Network for Measuring Population and Organizational Health Literacy). We identified that specific community-level interventions have targeted vulnerable and marginalized groups — like migrants and socially excluded individuals — to improve their access to health information, reduce obstacles, and increase empowerment. Furthermore, there are initiatives aimed at specific high-risk demographics. Among these are academic and public health programs focused on migrants, individuals experiencing homelessness, and individuals utilizing social welfare services. These initiatives include community-based interventions, capacity-building activities in local settings, and adapted materials (such as plain language or culturally appropriate resources). Examples and case studies have been published in institutional repositories. And, of course, all these interventions produced practical guides and tools designed for use by health services and community partners.