Guide hub
Awareness and attitudes — stigma, health literacy, skin health, and awareness days
Stigma, health literacy, skin health and awareness days.
Published 6 November 2026 · Last reviewed 7 November 2026 · Next review 7 May 2027
Direct answer: This hub explains how attitudes shape health: stigma that keeps topics hidden, health literacy that decides whether information is understood, skin health in plain language, and the awareness days that mark each cause through the year.
Chapter 1
Awareness and attitudes: what is stigma?
Stigma is a negative mark or label attached to a person or group.
Three types
It comes in three types. Public stigma is what other people think and do. Self-stigma is what a person comes to believe about themselves. Structural stigma is the rules, policies and systems that exclude a group.
Stigma as a barrier
Stigma acts as a barrier: it delays information-seeking, delays using services, and silences conversation. Read the full guide: What is stigma?
Chapter 2
Health literacy — finding and understanding health information
Personal health literacy
What a reader can do: find information, understand it, and use it to make decisions.
Organizational health literacy
How clearly services explain things: plain language, clear signage, forms people can follow.
Digital health literacy
Finding and judging health information online, where official sources sit next to rumour and advertising. Read the full guide: What is health literacy? For the step-by-step method, read How to check a health claim. Test general health literacy with the Myth or Fact Quiz.
Chapter 3
Skin health — basics, sun, and visible conditions
Skin is the body's largest organ, and the conditions that affect it are among the most asked-about in public health.
The basics
The guides start with the basics — Skin health basics names acne, eczema, rosacea and hives, and explains how skin changes with age.
Sun and skin cancer
Sun and skin: preventing skin cancer carries the WHO figures for 2020 and the protection measures, and extends the UV Index Lookup rather than repeating it.
Living with a visible condition
Living with a visible skin condition is about stigma when a condition can be seen — psoriasis, vitiligo, leprosy and scabies — and extends the What is stigma? guide.
Scabies and leprosy
Scabies and leprosy awareness covers the two skin conditions that affect whole communities, and names the other skin neglected tropical diseases.
Chapter 4
Awareness days calendar
World Health Day (7 April), World Hand Hygiene Day (5 May), World Mental Health Day (10 October) and Global Handwashing Day (15 October) are among the days marked each year. See the full calendar — dates and official links only — in the Health Awareness Days Calendar. For what each day marks, see Global health awareness days.
Directory
All guides and tools in this hub
Every guide and tool in this hub, in one filterable list.
What is health literacy?
What is health literacy, in everyday life: finding and judging health information, spotting misinformation, and what clear services owe their readers.
Published 6 November 2026 · Last reviewed 7 November 2026 · Next review 7 May 2027
Myth or Fact Quiz
A general health-literacy quiz — systems, determinants, policy, climate — one statement at a time, with an explanation and a named source per answer.
Health Awareness Days Calendar
A calendar of public-health awareness days — dates and official links only.
Skin health basics
What your skin does for your body, the conditions people ask about most — acne, eczema, rosacea and hives — and how skin changes with age.
Published 6 November 2026 · Last reviewed 7 November 2026 · Next review 7 May 2027
Sun and skin: preventing skin cancer
Skin cancer is highly preventable: the WHO figures for 2020, the types of skin cancer, protection that works, and when to seek care.
Published 6 November 2026 · Last reviewed 7 November 2026 · Next review 7 May 2027
Global health awareness days
Global health awareness days in plain language: World Health Day, World Mental Health Day, World Immunization Week and more — dates and what each day marks.
Published 6 November 2026 · Last reviewed 7 November 2026 · Next review 7 May 2027
How to check a health claim
A practical way to check a health claim before sharing it: WHO's seven steps, the difference between misinformation and disinformation, checking images and video, and five questions to ask first.
Published 6 November 2026 · Last reviewed 7 November 2026 · Next review 7 May 2027
More hubs
Explore other themes
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Mental health in plain language — understanding, support routes, and tackling stigma.
Diseases and Outbreaks
Outbreaks and diseases in plain language — what is happening, what it means, and where the official figures sit.
Vaccines
Vaccines in plain language — how they work, the schedules, and the official sources.
Life Course
Health from birth to older age — pregnancy, childhood, and ageing well.
Sources
Sources
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Does this hub diagnose or treat anything?
No. It is awareness only — no diagnosis, no treatment, no personal advice.
Why are some awareness days missing from the calendar?
Only days with a named official organiser and a fixed date are listed. A day without a verifiable official source is not listed.
Where do I find my country’s vaccination schedule?
In the Vaccination Directory, which links to the official source for each country.