What does self-care have to do with issues like pandemic preparedness, climate resilience, and humanitarian settings? Everything! Self-care – the ability of individuals, families, and communities to manage their health and well-being with or without the support of a healthcare provider – is an undeniable component of individual health behavior. And yet, it remains an overlooked approach to strengthening health systems facing greater access and capacity challenges.
During this year’s 12 Days of UHC campaign, themed “Self-Care &___,” we explored scaling self-care as an essential component of achieving Universal Health Coverage — not merely as a standalone practice but its intersection with other areas of physical, mental, and environmental health and well-being. We also shared timely resources on these topics curated from SCTG members and partners.
HIV/AIDS & Sexually Transmitted Infections
Self-care is at the heart of sexual health. There are more self-initiated options at people’s fingertips than ever to prevent, detect, and treat HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STI) — condoms, pre-exposure prophylaxis, HIV self-testing, self-collection of STI samples, and much more. These self-care tools also help ensure privacy while reducing stigma and discrimination.
- Scaling Self-Care: A Critical Step Towards Health for All
- HIV Self-Testing and PrEP: Opportunities for Scale-Up
- Self-Care Toolkit on SRHR and HIV for Young People and related video
Climate Change
Climate change is threatening human health, exacerbating health inequities, and underscoring why we need to invest in self-care approaches for people on the frontlines. Expanding community access to self-care tools — medications, medical supplies, food & water — is essential to responding and adapting to the health challenges posed by climate change.
- Climate Change, Gender Disparity, and Self-Care
- Birth in a Burning World: The Intersecting Extreme Heat and Maternal Health Crises in Sindh Province, Pakistan
- Self-Care in Climate Resilience
Gender, Youth, and Disability
Self-care is a tool for liberation and social justice. It supports the power and autonomy of groups of traditionally marginalized communities — women, gender-diverse people, youth, and people with disabilities. Self-care strengthens physical and mental health, self-esteem, and resilience for life’s challenges, ultimately helping people reclaim power and forge their future.
- Self-Care Strategies for Women and Girls with Disabilities
- Webinar – Self-Care and You(th): How Young People Can Shape Self-Care Policy and Accountability
Digital Health
Digital tools are transforming healthcare and self-care as we know it. The expansion of mobile phones, smartphone applications, internet access, and artificial intelligence are creating new avenues for people to access and practice self-care — everything from tracking personal health metrics to receiving an e-prescription to getting a personalized wellness plan powered by artificial intelligence.
- What’s Inside Matters: An Assessment of the Family Planning Content of Digital Self-Care Platforms and related manuscript Quality Assessment Checklist for Client-Facing Family Planning Content in Digital Tools
- Digital health platforms Nivi and Women First Digital
Maternal and Newborn Health
Did you know that the World Health Organization recommends self-care practices before, during, and after pregnancy? Pregnant people can do a lot at home to feel their best, such as eating healthy, exercising, and taking supplements to relieve nausea. Other actions can be life-saving, including self-administration of iron and folic acid and self-monitoring of blood sugar and blood pressure. Even after delivery, self-care is vital to safeguarding the health of mom and baby.
- Family-Led Postnatal Care in Ethiopia: Empowering Families to Care for Mothers and Newborns
- Toolkit on Self-Care and Shared Decision-Making for Respectful Maternal Care
- Me Care, We Care: How Self-Care Strengthens Maternal and Newborn Health
Mental Health
The world is facing a global mental health crisis of epic proportions, and self-care is vital in taking care of both minds and bodies. The World Health Organization suggests simple, everyday actions to improve mental health and well-being, such as eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, connecting with friends and family, avoiding harmful substances, and practicing gratitude. These actions aren’t selfish — they are essential.
- Adolescent Mental Health and related MindSKILLZ Magazine Sample
- Resources on Self-care and Mental Health Support During Mental Health Awareness Month
- New Campaign: Mental Health of the Health Workforce
Humanitarian Settings
Self-care has a critical role to play in humanitarian and fragile settings where the health and safety situation is dire, especially for women and girls. Emerging evidence and experience show that self-care can fill gaps in sexual and reproductive health in places with disrupted health systems, helping to restore health, rights, and human dignity to the millions of people in need of humanitarian assistance.
- Global Call to Action for Sexual and Reproductive Health Self-Care in Humanitarian and Fragile Settings
- Progress Tracker: Global Call to Action for Sexual and Reproductive Health Self-Care in Humanitarian and Fragile Settings
- Job Aid: Self-Managed Family Planning Methods
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
Self-care enables people to take greater control of their sexual and reproductive health. Individuals can self-test with ovulation predictor kits and at-home pregnancy tests, self-administer different contraceptives (injectable contraception, oral contraceptive pills, condoms, emergency contraception), and self-manage medication abortions. In a time when sexual and reproductive health services are being curtailed in many places, self-care can offer a pathway to greater bodily autonomy and agency.
- DMPA-SC Self-Injection Policy Analysis
- Why Self-Care is Essential for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
- Frequently Asked Questions about the Dual Prevention Pill
Pandemic Preparedness
Being prepared for the next pandemic starts with knowing how to protect yourself and your loved ones and having the self-care tools to do so. COVID-19 showed how powerful individual and community self-care behaviors are in responding to infectious diseases, such as masking, handwashing, social distancing, and self-testing. Pandemic preparedness plans should recognize self-care as a first line of defense.