Interventions Addressing Health Literacy in Cancer Care: A Systematic Review of Reviews

Celine Jeitani (), Stephan Van den Broucke and Charlotte Leemans
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Celine Jeitani: Psychology Sciences Research Institute, Catholic University of Louvain, 1348 Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Stephan Van den Broucke: Psychology Sciences Research Institute, Catholic University of Louvain, 1348 Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Charlotte Leemans: Psychology Sciences Research Institute, 1348 Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 2, 1-24

Abstract: (1) Background: Interventions addressing the health literacy (HL) of people suffering from an illness such as cancer can improve the understanding of the illness and lead to better-adapted behaviors, regarding the participation in cancer screenings, adhering to the complex multimodal therapy, participating in cancer treatment, and self-managing everyday health. This study provides a review of systematic reviews that include intervention articles addressing the HL of patients, healthcare professionals, and/or organizations in cancer, to identify the factors related to their effectiveness, as well as the missing elements, in light of the recent developments in HL research and practice. (2) Methods: A literature search was performed in Embase, Pubmed, PsycINFO, and Science Direct. Existing published reviews of studies targeting the interventions in the oncology domain, and which explicitly mentioned HL as a factor/outcome, were included. (3) Results: One hundred and fifty-five studies were retrieved. Ten fit the criteria and were included in this review. (4) Conclusions: Most of the interventions addressing HL in people with cancer included the target patients’ information and communication skills through education. To keep the full scope of the concept, as investigated in the recent literature, clinical applications of HL in patients with cancer should also consider organizational HL.

Keywords: health literacy; intervention; review; oncology; hematology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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