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The Health Literacy Status and Its Role in Interventions in Iran: A Systematic and Meta-Analysis

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  • Seyedeh Belin Tavakoly Sany

    (Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 13131-99137, Iran
    Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 13131-99137, Iran)

  • Hassan Doosti

    (Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia)

  • Mehrsadat Mahdizadeh

    (Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 13131-99137, Iran
    Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 13131-99137, Iran)

  • Arezoo Orooji

    (Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 13131-99137, Iran
    Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 13131-99137, Iran)

  • Nooshin Peyman

    (Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 13131-99137, Iran
    Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 13131-99137, Iran)

Abstract

There are increasing calls for public health policies to realize the visions of a health literate society and health literacy on a global scale. However, there are still more gaps in what researchers recognize and what steps they should take to improve health literacy (HL) skills. This review aimed to measure the HL status of the Iranian population and the effect size of the underlying association between HL and other health outcomes, and to examine the effectiveness of HL interventions on improving the functional dimension of HL, self-efficacy, and health-promoting behaviors. All full text published articles written in English and Persian language were included from inception until January 2019, but the type of study is not limited. A total of 52 potentially relevant articles with data on 36,523 participants were included in this review. In the population with health conditions, the average HL score was 62.51 (95% CI: 59.95–65.08), while in the patient population, the HL score was 64.04 (95% CI: 60.64–67.45). Health literacy was positively and significantly correlated with self-care behaviors 0.42 (95% CI; 0.35–0.49), self-efficacy 0.35 (95% CI; 0.26–0.43), knowledge 0.50 (95% CI; 0.44–0.55), communication skills 0.33 (95% CI; 0.25–0.41), and health promotion behaviors 0.39 (95% CI; 0.35–0.44). The meta-analyses showed that overall, HL interventions significantly improved HL status, self-efficacy, and health promotion behaviors. Results indicate that HL status was in the range of marginal HL level in the Iranian population. Our finding highlights the beneficial impact of HL intervention on health-promoting behaviors and self-efficacy, particularly in low literacy/socioeconomic status people.

Suggested Citation

  • Seyedeh Belin Tavakoly Sany & Hassan Doosti & Mehrsadat Mahdizadeh & Arezoo Orooji & Nooshin Peyman, 2021. "The Health Literacy Status and Its Role in Interventions in Iran: A Systematic and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-23, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:8:p:4260-:d:537967
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lindsay C. Kobayashi & Jane Wardle & Michael S. Wolf & Christian von Wagner, 2016. "Aging and Functional Health Literacy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 71(3), pages 445-457.
    2. Nutbeam, Don, 2008. "The evolving concept of health literacy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(12), pages 2072-2078, December.
    3. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    4. Elham Charoghchian Khorasani & Seyedeh Belin Tavakoly Sany & Hadi Tehrani & Hassan Doosti & Nooshin Peyman, 2020. "Review of Organizational Health Literacy Practice at Health Care Centers: Outcomes, Barriers and Facilitators," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-16, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yinuo Wang & Yuting Song & Yaru Zhu & Heqian Ji & Aimin Wang, 2022. "Association of eHealth Literacy with Health Promotion Behaviors of Community-Dwelling Older People: The Chain Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and Self-Care Ability," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-12, May.
    2. Elham Charoghchian Khorasani & Seyedeh Belin Tavakoly Sany & Mehrsadat Mahdizadeh & Hassan Doosti & Hadi Tehrani & Mohammad Moghzi & Alireza Jafari & Nooshin Peyman, 2022. "Attributes of Organizational Health Literacy in Health Care Centers in Iran: A Qualitative Content Analysis Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-19, February.

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