SynthesisThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2016
Aging and Functional Health Literacy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06971393 (A Comparison of Health Literacy Estimates Among Patients, Caregivers and a Geriatric Team), which is not on this map. Cited by 103 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Comparison of Health Literacy Estimates Among Patients, Caregivers and a Geriatric Team
Who cites it
103 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Health literacy training for older adults: a systematic review with meta-analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Examining the relationship between health literacy and eHealth literacy in adult populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Health promotion international · 2025Pooled it
- The low health literacy in Latin America and the Caribbean: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Self-reported health literacy and medication adherence in older adults: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2021Pooled it
- The Health Literacy Status and Its Role in Interventions in Iran: A Systematic and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- What is the Prevalence of Low Health Literacy in European Union Member States? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of general internal medicine · 2021Pooled it
- A conceptual model of functional health literacy to improve chronic airway disease outcomes.BMC public health · 2021Pooled it
- The Effect of European Health Literacy-Based e-Pulse Education and e-Pulse Instructional Materials on Health Literacy Levels in Adults Aged 45-64: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Research in nursing & health · 2025Trial
- Lay Health Trainers Supporting Self-Management amongst Those with Low Heath Literacy and Diabetes: Lessons from a Mixed Methods Pilot, Feasibility Study.Journal of diabetes research · 2016Trial
- Vaccine literacy among Italian travelers: A web-based survey using a brief assessment tool.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2026Article
- Lower Health Literacy Is Associated with Poorer Diet Quality in Korean Adults: An Association Masked by Age.Nutrients · 2026Article
- '…but look how many lives would have been saved if this was available then' Exploring the acceptability of future Human Papillomavirus self-sampling, and the barriers and facilitators of cervical cancer screening for those with intellectual disabilities in Scotland.British journal of health psychology · 2026Article
- School principals' COVID-19 health literacy and its association with mental health: international findings from 11 countries in Europe and Asia.Health promotion international · 2026Article
- Physical Activity Knowledge in People With Knee Osteoarthritis Before and After Participation in an Education and Exercise Therapy Programme.Musculoskeletal care · 2026Observational
- The relationship between frailty, health literacy, and medication adherence in older adults.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Low musculoskeletal health literacy is associated with inferior outcomes in total shoulder arthroplasty.JSES international · 2026Article
- Quality, readability, and patient safety of ChatGPT-generated responses to fall-related questions in older adults: a multidisciplinary evaluation.Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992) · 2026Article
- Structural Validation and Measurement Invariance of the HLS-Q12 Health Literacy Instrument in Finnish Adults: Comparing Traditional and Alignment Methods.International journal of public health · 2026Article
- [Development of a measure of functional health literacy: application of Item Response Theory].Cadernos de saude publica · 2026Article
- Health Literacy and Factors Associated with HPV Vaccination among Adolescent Students: A Cross-Sectional Analytic Study.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2025Article
43 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo review the evidence on the association between age and limited health literacy, overall and by health literacy test, and to investigate the mediating role of cognitive function.
methodThe Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases were searched. Eligible studies were conducted in any country or language, included participants aged ≥50 years, presented a measure of association between age and health literacy, and were published through September 2013.
resultsSeventy analyses in 60 studies were included in the systematic review; 29 of these were included in the meta-analysis. Older age was strongly associated with limited health literacy in analyses that measured health literacy as reading comprehension, reasoning, and numeracy skills (random-effects odds ratio [OR] = 4.20; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.13-5.64). By contrast, older age was weakly associated with limited health literacy in studies that measured health literacy as medical vocabulary (random-effects OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.03-1.37). Evidence on the mediating role of cognitive function was limited. DISCUSSION: Health literacy tests that utilize a range of fluid cognitive abilities and mirror everyday health tasks frequently observe skill limitations among older adults. Vocabulary-based health literacy skills appear more stable with age. Researchers should select measurement tests wisely when assessing health literacy of older adults.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.