Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42326960›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2026

Promoting health equity through health literacy interventions in educational institutions: a scoping review.

Belinda Agyapong, Vincent Israel Opoku Agyapong

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

2 authors.

Belinda AgyapongDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Vincent Israel Opoku AgyapongDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Disparities in health outcomes have been associated with inequitable access to health literacy and services. Additionally, reduced health literacy may lead to an unhealthy lifestyle, causing a decrease in quality of life and social inequities. Advancing health literacy is vital in educational organizations to curb gaps in social inequities. Adapting strategies to promote health literacy is essential for advancing equitable and effective educational organizations. Therefore, policies and interventions should aim to address any barriers that threaten inequities in the educational organization. Objective: This scoping review aims to explore how advancing health literacy strategies within the school organization can promote health equity. Methods: A scoping review of current literature was conducted using Arksey and O'Malley's framework and reported using the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews). Articles were identified using ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), PUBMED (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), EMBASE (Excerpta Medica Database), CINAHL Plus (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and ProQuest Education Database. Included articles were restricted to the English language and the last twelve years to capture the most recent literature. Results: Thirty-seven interventions to advance health literacy in educational settings were identified, with most published between 2020 and 2025 (28/37). Twenty-nine targeted elementary to secondary school students, while fewer focused on teachers, counselors, school personnel, or university students. Most were individual-level interventions aimed at improving student health literacy, while organizational approaches emphasized staff development and whole-school practices. Strategies included peer-led programs, curriculum-embedded teacher-led interventions, digital tools, staff-focused training, and whole-school models. Mental health literacy predominated, though oral health, infectious disease, pain, emergency preparedness, and WaSH literacy were also addressed. All studies reported improved health literacy-related outcomes. Conclusion: Evidence indicates that educational institutions may advance health literacy through curriculum-based, digital, peer-led, and whole-organization strategies. Integrating these approaches into policies and practice may promote equity, improve student and staff outcomes, and position schools and universities as important settings for health promotion and future intervention research.

Indexed as

Health EquityHealth LiteracyHealth PromotionSchoolsHumanseducational sectorhealth equityhealth literacyinterventionsschoolsscoping reviewstrategies

Identifiers

PMID42326960
PMCPMC13275422

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.