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Public health literacy

Guest Editors

Julie Ayre, PhD, The University of Sydney, Australia
Enrique Castro-Sánchez, PhD, Brunel University London, UK
Peter Kolarčik, PhD, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, Slovakia


 

BMC Public Health called for submissions to our Collection on Public health literacy. Limited personal health literacy is a predictor of poor health behaviors such as poor diet, smoking and lack of physical activity, and poor health outcomes such as increased risk of hospitalization and premature mortality in the population. There is a need for interventions to improve health literacy that can lead to positive changes in health behaviors, potentially reducing health inequalities. We welcomed submissions addressing but not limited to: community-based interventions to improve and promote health literacy policy, (cost-)effectiveness of interventions in influencing health behaviors, population health literacy assessment, the relationship between personal health literacy skills and the health environment, links with chronic diseases, strategies to reduce health inequalities, effect of reducing health inequalities towards improving health literacy.

New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being, SDG 1: No Poverty, SDG 2: Zero Hunger and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Julie Ayre, PhD, The University of Sydney, Australia

Dr Julie Ayre is a 2023 NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow based at the Sydney Health Literacy Lab, within the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney. Dr Ayre sits on the scientific advisory team that is developing a National Health Literacy Strategy on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Health. Her research has focused on health literacy, digital health, and behaviour change across varied health conditions (e.g. diabetes, low back pain, COVID-19). She led development of the Sydney Health Literacy Lab’s Health Literacy Editor, an online text-editing tool that helps health information providers develop easy-to-read health information, and led Australia’s largest multi-language survey capturing COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours.

Enrique Castro-Sánchez, PhD, Brunel University London, UK            

Dr Enrique Castro-Sánchez is Senior Lecturer in Planetary Health at the Global Challenges programme at Brunel University London (UK), a position he combines with an honorary lectureship in infection at Imperial College London (UK), and visiting posts at University of Balearic Islands (Spain), and Shifa University (Pakistan). His research interests include health literacy in infectious diseases and healthcare-associated infections; the impact of health inequalities on infectious diseases; policy influence on management of infectious diseases; use of social networks on clinicians and patients’ attitudes to infection; and the implementation and evaluation of new roles for nurses. Dr Castro-Sánchez holds editorial positions in BMC Public Health, and BMC Health Services Research, among others.

Peter Kolarčik, PhD, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, Slovakia                                            

Dr Peter Kolarčik is a senior researcher at the Department of Health Psychology and Research Methodology in the Faculty of Medicine P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, Slovakia. His research focuses on utilisation of patients’ health literacy in management of chronic patients and their quality of life. Additionally he is involved in Slovak national and International research team of Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) WHO collaborative cross-national study of adolescent health and well-being. He is particularly interested in methodological and analytical procedures, ensuring a deep understanding of research data for practical applications, improving patient quality of life and enhancing healthcare practices.


About the Collection

BMC Public Health is calling for submissions to our Collection on Public health literacy.

Health literacy reflects both the complexity of the health environment, and the personal skills of individuals and communities. Limited personal health literacy is a predictor of poor health behaviors such as poor diet, smoking and lack of physical activity, and poor health outcomes such as increased risk of hospitalization and premature mortality in the population.

Poor environmental and personal health literacy can also result in lower uptake of health promotion services, such as health screening and vaccinations, and can make it more difficult for a person to follow medical instructions and healthcare plans.

Individuals with an adequate level of health literacy have the capacity to manage their own health and the conditions that affect their health on a day-to-day basis well, taking action to improve their lifestyle and living conditions, with a more efficient use of the health system and a resulting advantage for the whole community. 

There is a need for interventions to improve health literacy in populations. These interventions can promote changes in health behaviors and reduce health inequalities. Indeed, individuals in the society with limited health literacy have the poorest health outcomes. 

This  supports a number of Sustainable Development Goals including SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being, SDG 1: No Poverty, SDG 2: Zero Hunger and SDG10: Reduced Inequalities. For this collection calling for research on public health literacy, BMC Public Health welcomes submissions addressing but not limited to:

  • Community-based interventions to improve and promote public health literacy 
  • Health literacy policy and frameworks
  • The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of health literacy interventions in influencing health behaviors
  • Population health literacy assessment
  • The relationship between personal health literacy skills and the health environment
  • The association between chronic disease and health literacy 
  • Optimal approaches to improving health literacy to reduce health inequalities, and effect of reducing health inequalities towards improving health literacy


Image credit: Photographee.eu / stock.adobe.com

  1. A more digitalised world comes with the promise to improve people’s lives. Therefore, it is essential that policymakers also align digital interventions with initiatives to empower citizens and strengthen thei...

    Authors: Karin Schölin Bywall, Therese Norgren, Beatrice Avagnina, Marta Pisano Gonzalez and Sarah Wamala Andersson
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:2666
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Maternal mortality in the U.S. continues to increase, and the State of Georgia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among the 50 states at 33.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, disproportionately aff...

    Authors: Evelyn F. Fagan, Ana M. Palacios, Helen W. Bland, Ariel A. Alston and Dziyana Nazaruk
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:2598
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. This study translated the short nutrition literacy scale for young adults (18–35 years) into Chinese, examined its reliability and validity, and analyzed its influencing factors.

    Authors: Yaoyao Liu, Lei Zhang, Kaiyan Xu, Yiqian Ding, Fangyan Li and Tinglin Zhang
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:2158
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Despite increasing global attention to health literacy and adolescents’ digital health information seeking, no unidimensional instruments measuring digital health literacy (DHL) in adolescents have reportedly ...

    Authors: Christopher Le, Øystein Guttersrud, Diane Levin-Zamir, Robert Griebler and Hanne Søberg Finbråten
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:2043
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. India is experiencing a rising burden of chronic disease multimorbidity due to an aging population and epidemiological transition. Older adults residing in urban slums are especially vulnerable due to challeng...

    Authors: M. Yogesh, Naresh Makwana, Nidhi Trivedi and Naresh Damor
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:1833
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. Males have a shorter life expectancy than females. Men are less likely to seek the advice of a health professional or utilise preventive health services and programs. This study seeks to explore health literac...

    Authors: Ruth Mursa, Christopher Patterson, Gemma McErlean and Elizabeth Halcomb
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:1804
    Content type: Research Published on:

  9. Research indicates that COVID-19 has had adverse effects on the mental health of adolescents, exacerbating their negative psychological states. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of Physica...

    Authors: Jiarun Wu, Garry Kuan, Yishuai Wang, Zhutang Liu, Xiaoyu Hu, Yee Cheng Kueh and Xinding Zhang
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:1738
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. Stigma, lack of trust in authorities, and poor knowledge can prevent health-seeking behaviour, worsen physical and mental health, and undermine efforts to control transmission during disease outbreaks. These f...

    Authors: Colette Pang Biesty, Charlotte Hemingway, James Woolgar, Katrina Taylor, Mark David Lawton, Muhammad Wali Waheed, Dawn Holford and Miriam Taegtmeyer
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:1638
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. Medical rehabilitation can be helpful for maintaining workers’ health and work ability. Its contribution to longer working lives is of high economic relevance in aging populations. In Germany, individuals must...

    Authors: Jean-Baptist du Prel, Max Rohrbacher, Chloé Charlotte Schröder and Jürgen Breckenkamp
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:1622
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. Mental health literacy (MHL) is especially important for young people, but comprehensive studies on MHL in adolescents are limited, with no nationwide studies in Spain. This research aims to study MHL among Sp...

    Authors: Clara González-Sanguino, Jairo Rodríguez-Medina, Jesús Redondo-Pacheco, Elena Betegón, Lorena Valdivieso-León and María Jesús Irurtia
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:1469
    Content type: Research Published on:

  13. Health literacy measurement lays a solid foundation to identify associations with health outcomes and monitor population health literacy levels over time. In mainland China, most existing health literacy instr...

    Authors: Rongmei Liu, Qiuping Zhao, Mingyang Yu, Hui Chen, Xiaomo Yang, Shuaibin Liu, Orkan Okan, Xinghan Chen, Yuhan Xing and Shuaijun Guo
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:1036
    Content type: Research Published on:

  14. Health literacy is the important for the prevention of non-communicable disease to make informed health decisions, and practice healthy and protective behaviours. Therefore, application of socioecological mode...

    Authors: Eneyew Talie Fenta, Atitegeb Abera kidie, Misganaw Guadie Tiruneh, Tadele Fentabel Anagaw, Eyob ketema Bogale, Amanuel Addisu Dessie, Nigus Kassie worku, Mastewal Giza Amera, Hiwot Tesfa, Liknaw Workie Limenh, Amare Mebrate Delie and Birtukan Gizachew Ayal
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:971
    Content type: Research Published on:

  15. Given the growing evidence on the health benefits associated with physical literacy (PL), it is necessary to develop sound measures to assess the levels of PL in children. The Physical Literacy in Children Que...

    Authors: Yucui Diao, Li Wang, Sitong Chen, Lisa M. Barnett, Emiliano Mazzoli, Inimfon A. Essiet, Xiaofen Wang, Lei Wang, Yaping Zhao, Xuanxi Li and Jing Li
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:869
    Content type: Research Published on:

  16. Health-promoting actions might benefit from adolescent health literacy (AHL), however, there is scant research on it in Nepal. This study identifies adolescent students’ health literacy (HL) needs and trials a...

    Authors: Shanti Prasad Khanal, Chitra Bahadur Budhathoki and Orkan Okan
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:407
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Public health literacy" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.