https://doi.org/10.1177/1403494817743903 © Author(s) 2018 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1403494817743903 journals.sagepub.com/home/sjp Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 2018; 46(Suppl 20): 107–117 Introduction At the Ottawa conference in 1986, Halfdan Mahler, at that time the director-general of World Health Organization (WHO), stressed that health literacy (HL) was one of 10 future health promotion chal- lenges, and a social investment to promote and main- tain the health of a population [1]. HL was defined and presented in the Health Promotion Glossary at the 4 th Global Conference on Health Promotion in 1997 [2]. Thereafter, HL has been paid specific attention as a health determinant at WHO’s subse- quent health promotion conferences in Nairobi 2009, Helsinki 2013 and Shanghai 2016 (www.who.int). Also in Health 2020 [3] and in the Marmot Commission report [4] HL is emphasized as an important social determinant for equity in health. In Health literacy: The solid facts [5] it is described as a resource for the individual’s health as well as for the health of the population. Concerns and future challenges of health literacy in the Nordic countries – From the point of view of health promotion practitioners and researchers K.C. RINGSBERG 1 , E. OLANDER 2 , P. TILLGREN 3 , N. THUALAGANT 4 & A. TROLLVIK 5 1 Institute of Health and Care Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden, 2 Blekinge Institute of Technology, Department of Health, Karlskrona, Sweden, 3 School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden, 4 Research Centre for Health Promotion Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark, and 5 Institute of nursing, faculty of public health, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Elverum, Norway Abstract Background: Health literacy is an essential social determinant for promoting and maintaining the health of a population. Aim: From a health promotion perspective, explore health literacy issues, concerns and future challenges among Nordic practitioners and researchers. Methods: Data were collected in a workshop at the 8 th Nordic Health Promotion Conference, and in a literature review, with articles from five databases. The search included title and abstract with the search terms health literacy* and health literacy as a MeSH term and all the Nordic countries. Qualitative and quantitative analysis were used. Results: Twenty-five persons participated in the workshop. The discussions were summarized in six themes: concept of health literacy in national language; risk of victim blaming; measuring health literacy; content in school curricula on health literacy; new technologies for information and communication; communication and collaboration between different actors in support of health. Forty-three articles on health literacy were identified, mainly conducted within three fields: development, test and adaptation of instruments for measuring health literacy; measurement of health literacy among patients, or other defined target groups and on populations; and developing and evaluating methods/tools for the training of personnel groups or different target groups. Conclusions: There is a need for further studies providing a more in-depth understanding of the health literacy concept, knowledge on how to measure health literacy, ethical aspects, application in intersectoral collaboration as well as the adaptation to new technologies for information and communication in education supporting health literacy. As health literacy is an essential social health determinant, a concern and a future challenge must be, to make the health literacy concept familiar and visible in health promotion policies, research and practice such as health education. Key Words: Empowerment, health literacy, health promotion, literature review, Nordic research, workshop Correspondence: K. C. Ringsberg, 1 Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Health and Care Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 457, SE 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden. E-mail: karin.ringsberg@gu.se Date received 29 May 2017; reviewed 16 June 2017; accepted 02 November 2017 743903SJP 0 0 10.1177/1403494817743903K. Ringsberg et al.Health literacy research-article 2017 ORIGINAL ARTICLE