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Takemi Program in International Health

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The Takemi Program in International Health seeks to improve health and health systems around the world by welcoming mid-career health professionals and scholars to the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health to conduct path breaking research and develop their leadership skills.

Location

665 Huntington Avenue, Bldg. 1, Room 1210
Boston, MA 021151, USA

International
Health Literacy

Dr. Aya Goto has been implementing the Health Literacy Workshop for professionals and students since the initiative began in 2011. The initiative was created shortly after the Fukushima nuclear disaster to help health professionals better communicate health information related to radiation exposure. Since its creation, Dr. Goto and her team have trained various health professionals, including nurses, doctors, and nutritionists from Japan and other parts of the world. These workshops usually take about three hours and include a variety of in-class exercises. Below is the booklet used to teach Japanese participants. She also holds the workshops in English.

In addition to these formal workshops, Dr. Goto also has a project called Creative Health that helps to foster health literacy among school children. Learn more here.

Health Literacy Workshop

The booklet, “Translation & Assessment of Health Information,” is a health literacy tool designed by a group of researchers at the Center for Integrated Sciences and Humanities at Fukushima Medical University, led by Dr. Aya Goto, with the support of the Institute of Life Sciences Research Foundation and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

This version was published in September 2023 and is used in the Health Literacy Workshops with Japanese participants.

用語の言い換え&健康情報の評価Download

Creative Health Project

The Creative Health Project is a collaboration between researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University, Koriyama Women’s University, Kagoshima University, and collaborating organizations. It runs participatory research aiming to improve the health literacy skills of children and young people in disaster-prone and disaster-vulnerable countries in Asia and Africa, namely, Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Rwanda.

Click here to visit the Creative Health Project Website

Health Literacy Resources

Here is a list of related publications
(as of April 2025).

  1. Machida M, Goto A, Lloyd Williams A, Okabe S, Koriyama C, Murakami M, Yumiya Y, Nollet KE. Participatory ‘Creative Health’ in Fukushima schools: implications of ‘ACT’ theatre component for children’s responses. Radioprotection. 2025.
  2. Benski C, Goto A, Hantavololona A, Andrianarisoa V, Manjary PR, Stancanelli G, Bakri S, Muniroh M, Koriyama C. Technological innovation in international training and advancing health services: two cases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Systems & Reform. 2024; 10(2): 2387646.
  3. Akutsu K, Goto A, Abo-Rass F, Yokoyama H. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Parent Training Pamphlets: An Intervention Study Among Parents at Child Health Checkups. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health. 2025;16.
  4. Kuroda, Y., Goto, A., Uchida, K., Sugimoto, T., Fujita, K., Yokoyama, Y., Nakagawa, T., Saito, T., Noguchi, T., Komatsu, A., Arai, H. and Sakurai, T. Association Between Cancer Screening Patterns and Carer Literacy in Individuals With Cognitive Decline: An Observational Study. Cancer Medicine, 13: e70311. 2024.
  5. Vo TK, Nguyen TK, Yokokawa H, Goto A, Naito T. Translation and Validation of the Health Literacy Score-14 Questionnaire for Vietnamese Patients with Diabetes. JMA Journal. 2024; 7: 242-249.
  6. Iso T, Ishikawa Y, Kobashi Y, Nollet K, Yokokawa H, Goto A. Understandability of passive smoking prevention leaflets in Japan. Frontiers in Communication. 2024; 9: 1417494.
  7. Yumiya Y, Goto A, Konta T. Association between health literacy and understanding of doctors’ explanations: The Yamagata Study. Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2024; 8: e175-e183.
  8. Lam PV, Goto A, Vuong TNT, Nguyen ATQ, Nguyen TQ, Quynh Hoa Vu QH, Yokokawa H. Evaluation of Vietnamese written materials for diabetes prevention and management in Ho Chi Minh City. Health Literacy and Communication Open. 2023; 1:1.
  9. Kuroda Y, Goto A, Sugimoto T, Fujita K, Uchida K, Matsumoto N, Shimada H, Ohtsuka R, Yamada M, Fujiwara Y, Seike A, Hattori M, Ito G, Arai H, Sakurai T. Participatory approaches for developing a practical handbook integrating health information for supporting individuals with mild cognitive impairment and their families. Health Expectations. 2023; 27: e13870.
  10. Goto A, Lloyd Williams A, Okabe S, Murakami M, Machida M, Koriyama C, Nollet KE. Beyond radiation anxiety and country borders: applying health literacy in the field after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Annals of the ICRP. 2023; 52: 155-158.
  11. Kinoshita L, Goto A, Okabe S, Satoh K, Honda K, Ueda K, Murakami M, Nollet KE. Daily meals in context: a quantitative analysis of elementary school students’ drawings. Frontiers in Communication. 2023; 8: 1008108.
  12. Kuroda Y, Goto A, Koriyama C, Suzuki K. Association of health literacy with anxiety about COVID-19 under an infectious disease pandemic in Japan. Health Promotion International. 2023; 38: daac200.
  13. Machida M, Murakami M, Goto A. Data trustworthiness and risk perception differences between bar graphs and pictograms. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19: 4690.
  14. Goto A, Lloyd Williams A, Okabe S, Koyama Y, Koriyama C, Murakami M, Yui Y, Nollet KE. Empowering children as agents of change to foster resilience in community: Implementing “Creative Health” in primary schools after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19: 3417.
  15. Nomura M, Goto A, Osawa E, Miura H. Empirical evaluation of understandability and usability of health handbooks commonly used in Japan. Frontiers in Communication. 2021; 6: 728934.
  16. Goto A, Yumiya Y, Ueda K. Feedback assessment from the audience as a part of the health literacy training for health professionals: a case from Fukushima after the nuclear accident. Annals of ICRP. 2021; 50(suppl): 167-173.
  17. Benski C, Goto A, Reich MR. Developing health communication materials during a pandemic. Frontiers in Communication. 2020; 5: 603656.
  18. Goto A. Communicating health information with the public: lessons learned post disaster. Journal of Global Health Science. 2020; 2: e6.
  19. Yumiya Y, Goto A, Murakami M, Ohira T, Rudd RE. Communication between health professionals and community residents in Fukushima: a focus on the feedback loop. Health Communication. 2020; 35: 1274-1282.
  20. Goto A, Lai AY, Kumagai A, Koizumi S, Yoshida K, Yamawaki K, Rudd RE. Collaborative processes of developing a health literacy toolkit: a case from Fukushima after the nuclear accident. Journal of Health Communication. 2018; 23: 200-206.
  21. Murakami M, Sato A, Matsui S, Goto A, Kumagai A, Tsubokura M, Orita M, Takamura N, Kuroda Y, Ochi S. Communicating with residents about risks following the Fukushima nuclear accident. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health. 2017; 29: 74S-89S.
  22. Henning M, Goto A, Chi C, Rudd RE. Community health workers as the critical building blocks for health system strengthening: a two-case study of innovative CHWs in Zambia and Japan. Journal of Communication in Healthcare. 2015; 8: 241-249.
  23. Lai AY, Goto A, Rudd RE. Advancing health literacy from a system perspective: health literacy training for healthcare professionals. European Health Psychologist. 2015; 17: 281-285.
  1. Lloyd Williams A, Goto A. Theatres of Resilience: Children as Actors in Community Development in Fukushima. In: Abeysinghe S, Leppold C, Ozaki A, Lloyd Williams A, eds. Health, Wellbeing and Community Recovery in Fukushima. London: Routledge; 2022. P.155-170.
  2. Rowland J, Arenas M, Cordani F, Grisi A, Nikolaraizi M, Papazafiri M, Lloyd Williams A, Goto A, Bingley A. Participatory tools for disaster risk reduction among children and young people. In: Mort M, Rodríguez-Giralt I, Delicadoed A, eds. Children and Young People’s Participation in Disaster Risk Reduction. Agency and Resilience. Bristol: Bristol University Press; 2020. P.117-150.
  3. Henning M, Goto A, Chi C, Reich MR. Leveraging the voice of community workers in health governance: a two-case study from Zambia and Japan. In: Reich MR, Takemi K, eds. Governing Health Systems for Nations and Communities around the World. Brookline, MA: Lamprey & Lee; 2015. P.108-127.
  1. Murakami M, Okabe S, Koriyama C, Goto A. “Creative Health” linking children and community: Observations on a participatory school health project in Japan, Rwanda, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Journal of Global Health Science. (In press).
  2. Yamawaki K, Goto A, Mwemezi Safina E, Dai C, Nollet KE. To Rwanda from Japan, and back: “Creative Health” BODY workshops in urban and rural primary schools. Africa Health. 2024; 7: 22-24.
  3. Lloyd Williams A, Goto A, Mwemezi Safina E, Simba Akintije C. ACTing for Creative Health in Rwandan schools: exploring children’s ideas about food through participatory theatre. Africa Health. 2023; 10: 27-28.
  4. Goto A, Lai AY, Rudd RE. Health literacy as a driving force for improving access to health care: recovery after the nuclear power plan accident in Fukushima. Journal of Seizon and Life Sciences. 2016; 27: 191-207.
  5. Goto A, Lai AY, Rudd RE. Health literacy training for public health nurses in Fukushima: A multi-site program evaluation. Japan Medical Association Journal. 2015; 58: 1-9.
  6. Goto A, Rudd RE, Lai AY, Yoshida-Komiya. Health literacy training for public health nurses in Fukushima: a case-study of program adaptation, implementation and evaluation. Japan Medical Association Journal. 2014; 57: 146-153.
  1. 第2章:さまざまな場面における人間の行動. 7 被災者について. 後藤あや, 町田宗仁. 鈴木孝太, 柿崎真沙子, 菊池宏幸編. 保健・医療・福祉における行動科学入門. 東京, 大修館書店. 2024
  2. 第3章: 行動変容に役立つ基本的理論. 5 ヘルスリテラシー. 後藤あや, 横川博英. 鈴木孝太, 柿崎真沙子, 菊池宏幸編. 保健・医療・福祉における行動科学入門. 東京, 大修館書店. 2024
  3. 暮らしの手引き＋. 後藤あや（主査）編. 環境省委託暮らしの手引き作成ワーキンググループ, 2019
  4. ヘルスリテラシー：健康に関する情報を使う力・伝える力. 後藤あや. 小児禁煙研究会雑誌. 2022; 12: 33-37
  5. 企画セッション開催報告 福島から COVID-19 を, COVID-19 から福島を考える. 村上道夫, 小林智之, 越智小枝, 後藤あや, 五十嵐泰正. リスク学研究. 2021; 30: 195-202
  6. 「コロナ」下で医療従事者に求められる健康情報を伝える力. 後藤あや, 村上道夫. 東京小児科医会会報. 2020; 39: 18-23
  7. 地域にいきる医療人育成: 原子力災害後における健康コミュニケーション教育の構築. 村上道夫, 後藤あや. 福島医学. 2019; 69: 1-7

Learn more about Health Literacy Studies

Visit the Health Literacy Studies research team archive at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, led by Dr. Rima Rudd.

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