Basque pilot supports youth to build health literacy for healthier daily habits

In the Basque Country region in Spain, Biosistemak Institute, together with Osakidetza, is leading a JACARDI pilot that aims to strengthen health literacy among adolescents and young people. Implemented under Work Package 6, which focuses on health literacy and awareness of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, the pilot contributes to JACARDI’s wider goal of reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases through prevention, equity and stronger health systems.

The pilot responds to a central challenge in chronic disease prevention: young people need health information and resources that are understandable, relevant and usable in daily life. By supporting adolescents and young people to better access, understand and apply health information and services, the Basque pilot seeks to help them build healthier habits early, before cardiovascular disease and diabetes risks become established.

Making health information meaningful for young people

Health literacy is not only about providing information. It is about making sure that people can use that information and services in real situations: when making food choices, understanding physical activity recommendations, navigating health systems or recognising how everyday habits can influence long-term health.

As explained by Irati Erreguerena Redondo, Researcher and Project Manager at Biosistemak, the Basque pilot places young people at the centre of this process. Rather than applying a “one-size-fits-all” model, Biosistemak works within the JACARDI implementation methodology to adapt the pilot to the regional context, and integrate the needs of adolescents and young people as well as the realities of the Basque health system. This reflects the broader JACARDI approach, which promotes a co-designed health literacy programme based on local needs and situations, enhancing a participatory process with community stakeholders integrating the equity and sustainability perspective.

“By improving health literacy early in life, we can help adolescents and young people make informed choices that support their health now and in the future,” says Irati Erreguerena Redondo, Researcher and Project Manager at Biosistemak Institute for Health System Research.

From local action to European learning

The pilot also contributes to JACARDI’s wider commitment to equity. Young people do not all access, understand, use and appraise health information in the same way, and their opportunities to act on it can be shaped by social, economic, cultural and family circumstances. By focusing on understandable and relevant communication, the pilot aims to reduce barriers and make prevention more feasible for all. 

The results from the Basque Country pilot will contribute to JACARDI’s shared learning on how health literacy can support prevention from an early age. Insights from the pilot will feed into the project’s assessment and sustainability work, helping identify what can be maintained, scaled up or transferred to other settings after the project ends.

By helping adolescents and young people turn health information, resources and services into practical everyday choices, the Basque pilot shows how health literacy can become a foundation for healthier lives and more resilient health systems.