Health literacy and critical thinking: Štampar’s preventive paradigm as an early path toward critically grounded health literacy

Abstract

This paper is based on the thesis that contemporary health literacy is not sustainable without critical thinking, especially in a digital environment marked by infodemics, pseudo-scientific claims, and manipulative health communication. The aim of the paper is to conceptually connect health literacy with theories and standards of critical thinking and to show that Andrija Štampar’s preventive paradigm can be interpreted as an early path toward what may today be described as critically grounded health literacy. Methodologically, the paper relies on an analytical-conceptual synthesis of the literature on health literacy, infodemic, and critical thinking, as well as on an interpretative analysis of Štampar’s public health principles. Drawing on European HLS19 data, the paper shows that limited health literacy is widespread and increases vulnerability to misinformation, pseudo-scientific content, and poor health-related decision-making. Critical thinking is defined as standards-guided reasoning that enables the evaluation of sources, evidence, risks, and arguments. Special attention is given to informal logical fallacies in health communication, such as false dilemmas, appeals to fear, anecdotal evidence, and appeals to authority, since these often facilitate the spread of pseudo-scientific and commercially motivated health messages. The discussion argues that Štampar’s insistence on public education, the educational role of physicians, and shared responsibility for health presupposes an active citizen capable of understanding, evaluating, and responsibly applying health information. The paper concludes by proposing a model of critically grounded health literacy as an educational and public health principle that may contribute to resilience against infodemics, more responsible health-related decision-making, and a stronger role of education in preventive medicine.