Abstract
A systematic review was conducted to assess the available evidence for the effectiveness of interventions aiming to improve the comprehensibility of health-related documents in older adults (≥50) with different levels of health literacy. Seven databases were searched (2005 forward), and references in relevant reviews were checked. The selection procedure was conducted by 2 independent reviewers. Data extraction and assessment of the quality of the resulting studies were conducted by 1 reviewer and checked for accuracy by a 2nd reviewer. A total of 38 intervention studies had a study population of older adults (n = 35) or made an explicit comparison between age groups, including older adults (n = 3). Inconsistent evidence was found for the importance of design features to enhance the comprehensibility of health-related documents. Only for narratives and multiple-feature revisions (e.g., combining revisions in textual and visual characteristics) did the included studies provide evidence that they may be effective for older adults. Using narrative formats and/or multiple-feature revisions of health-related documents seem to be promising strategies for enhancing the comprehensibility of health-related documents for older adults. The lack of consistent evidence for effective interventions stresses the importance of (a) replication and (b) the use of standardized research methodologies.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 159-177 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Journal of Health Communication |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 2 |
Early online date | 23-Nov-2015 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1-Feb-2016 |
Keywords
- RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED-TRIAL
- PATIENT EDUCATION
- CANCER INFORMATION
- INFORMED-CONSENT
- HEART-FAILURE
- DECISION AIDS
- PRIMARY-CARE
- RISK
- MEDICATION
- WRITTEN