Title : The health literacy grid: An integrated multi-format model for gamified health education among youth in Uganda

Background: In Uganda, where over 75 percent of the population is under 30, young people face compounding barriers to accurate, actionable health information. Systemic misinformation, complex medical language, and exclusion of underserved communities from formal health education create a structural gap between knowledge and behaviour. Single-tool interventions consistently fail to produce sustained change across diverse youth populations because they address only one dimension of a multidimensional literacy challenge.

Intervention: AFHEG Foundation developed the Health Literacy Grid, an integrated five-programme ecosystem combining: Smarty, a tiered gamified e-learning platform; Super Bugs Clash Kampala Edition, a collaborative board game on antimicrobial resistance; Health Defenders, a trained youth volunteer network; Mind Path Journey, a mental health and decision-making board game; and the Young Leaders for Arts and Health (YLAH) Kampala Summit. The model is built on the evidence-informed principle that sustained health literacy requires layered, reinforcing engagement across multiple formats and settings simultaneously.

Methods: This presentation draws on programme records, platform analytics, facilitator reports, and qualitative community feedback gathered across AFHEG Foundation operations from inception through early 2026, applying a descriptive implementation science framework to characterise reach, delivery fidelity, and qualitative behaviour change signal.

Results: The Health Literacy Grid has reached over 60,000 people across Uganda. Smarty has onboarded more than 2,000 registered learners. Super Bugs Clash has recorded over 200 gameplay sessions across schools, universities, and community forums, with facilitators documenting consistently increased AMR dialogue following gameplay. Over 100 active Health Defenders are independently delivering health literacy sessions. In 2026, AFHEG Foundation was selected for the HundrED Global Collection, recognising the model among the world's most inspiring education innovations.

Conclusions: The Health Literacy Grid demonstrates that an integrated ecosystem approach produces breadth of reach and behaviour change signal that single-tool interventions fail to achieve. The model is replicable and designed for scale across East Africa. This presentation argues that integrated ecosystem frameworks should be prioritised in public health education policy and funding across the African continent. 

Phillip Andrew Mwebaza is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of AFHEG Foundation (African Health Grid Foundation). A CDC-certified health literacy specialist, he holds advanced training in global health policy and development from the University of Washington. He is a Tony Elumelu Foundation alumnus. Under his leadership, AFHEG Foundation has reached over 60,000 people across Uganda through the Health Literacy Grid ecosystem and was selected for the HundrED Global Collection 2026. He also serves as CEO of Impact Craft Media Ltd, a professional media and communications agency based in Kampala, Uganda.