Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39595723›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2024

Health Literacy in Africa-A Scoping Review of Scientific Publications.

Kristine Sørensen, Verena Knoll, Neida Ramos, Millicent Boateng, Guda Alemayehu, Laura Schamberger, Stefanie Harsch

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Kristine SørensenGlobal Health Literacy Academy, 8240 Risskov, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-6179-7004
Verena KnollPharmacoeconomics Departments, Austrian National Public Health Institute, 1010 Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0009-0001-2685-689X
Neida RamosInstitute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Nova University of Lisbon, 1249-008 Lisbon, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-2042-309X
Millicent BoatengEnsign Global College, Akosombo 136, Ghana.ORCID 0000-0002-8198-6427
Guda AlemayehuUniversity of South Africa, Pretoria 0003, South Africa.
Laura SchambergerManagement Centre Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Stefanie HarschCenter for Medicine and Society, University of Freiburg, 79098 Freiburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4506-5302

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Africa's health landscape is rapidly changing, requiring new solutions such as a focus on health literacy. However, there is currently a limited overview of the development and application of health literacy in African countries and societies. This scoping review aims to analyze scientific publications on health literacy in Africa with regards to research approaches, historical developments, geographic origins, target populations and settings, and topical interests. The research followed Arksey and O'Malley six steps of scoping reviews and employed the Joanna Briggs Institute's PCC method for search string formulation and the PRISMA-SCR checklist for reporting. On 11 July 2022, the following six databases were searched for scientific articles including included reports, policy briefs, book chapters, and research publications: PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, ERIC, African Journals Online, and African Index Medicus. A total of 336 articles were identified. The research team co-developed a codebook and three researchers independently extracted data. The analysis provided the most comprehensive overview of the current scope and scale of health literacy in Africa to date. The publications represented 37 of the 54 African Union countries and dated back to 2001, although most were published in the last decade. The content analysis identified 13 broad themes, including mental health, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, maternal health, digital health, information and communication, health care, prevention and health promotion, conceptual perspectives, cultural perspectives, and outcomes and measurement. The analysis of target groups revealed a wide range of actors involved in different settings, mostly in health care or community settings. These comprehensive and novel findings can be used to prioritize future actions for public and professional capacity building, policy development, and improved practice to improve health literacy for all in Africa.

Indexed as

Health LiteracyAfricaHumansAfricaAfrican Unionhealth literacyscoping review

Identifiers

PMID39595723
PMCPMC11594271

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.