Awakening professionals' critical awareness of health literacy issues within a francophone linguistic-minority population in Ontario.

INTRODUCTION: We carried out a qualitative evaluation of immediate learning and attitudinal change among health care and social services professionals who attended a workshop promoting critical reflection about health literacy among linguistic-minority Franco-Ontarians.

METHODS: The study involved 41 francophone health care and social services professionals. The workshop facilitator used evocative objects to elicit reflection on health literacy. Data sources were audio-recordings of group discussions and feedback forms completed by participants.

RESULTS: The study found that the workshop awakened participants' awareness of health literacy and stimulated them to promote health literacy in their professional practice. The workshop also broadened participants' vision of health literacy as a social determinant of health that interacts synergistically with culture, age, immigration status, social support, and socioeconomic status.

CONCLUSION: Professionals expressed their awakened awareness of health literacy as collective accountability. This corroborates our claim that critical pedagogy applied to in-service education effectively stimulates professionals' awareness of their potential to change their practice and work environment.