Exploring the Interplay of Health Literacy and Non-Communicable Disease Health Outcomes in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review.

Background: Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) present a substantial challenge in low- and middle-income nations, especially in the Southeast Asia region. Health literacy (HL) is vital for managing NCDs and improving health outcomes by enhancing individuals' abilities to seek, understand, assess, and utilize health information. Methods: A systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines, and relevant articles were sourced from PubMed, ProQuest, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google Scholar without limiting the publication year. Studies included were from Southeast Asia that examined the connection between HL and NCD outcomes. Sixteen cross-sectional studies from five countries were chosen for the final analysis. Results: The review observed that higher HL was linked to better health outcomes for individuals with NCDs. Communicative and critical HL were found to be more impactful than functional HL in obtaining, analysing, and applying health information. Additionally, HL was influenced by sociodemographic aspects (age, gender, education, location, and marital status, socioeconomic factors (income and employment), and societal influences (patient-doctor relationships, cultural context, and family support). HL was important in managing NCDs and for better health outcomes. Conclusion: Further studies are called for the evaluation of all three HL skills to comprehensively understand the HL of populations. Furthermore, the link between limited HL and employment status remains under-explored and deserves further attention.