Experiencing financial insecurity and being underserved is often associated with low health literacy, i.e., the ability to identify, obtain, interpret and act upon health information, which may result in poor health outcomes. Little is known about effective interventions for promoting health literacy among underserved populations. The objective of this systematic review is to summarize the literature on such interventions and identify characteristics that differentiate more effective interventions.
Following PRISMA guidelines we searched the databases SCOPUS, Pubmed, Web of Science core collection and CINAHL. We included primary studies with a quantitative study design and control groups testing interventions to increase health literacy or health knowledge in underserved populations between 18 and 65 years. Where possible, we converted effect sizes into Cohen’s d and compared mean differences of intervention and control groups. Albatross plots were created to summarize the results according to different health literacy and health knowledge outcomes.
We screened 3,696 titles and abstracts and 206 full texts. In total, 86 articles were analyzed, of which 55 were summarized in seven albatross plots. The majority of the studies (
Although the outcomes addressed in the included studies were heterogeneous, effective intervention approaches were often culturally sensitive and developed tailored educational materials. Interventions aiming to promote health literacy in underserved populations should hence consider applying similar approaches.