Abstract

SCORTEGAGNA, Helenice et al. Interventions in older adults with low health literacy: review and meta-analyses. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2023, vol.24, n.2, pp.599-619.  Epub Oct 31, 2023. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/23psd240215.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials was carried out to identify, synthesize, and assess the available evidence on the aims and effects of interventions used by health professionals for older adults with low health literacy. Relevant articles were selected from the databases from April 2017 to April 2020. The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions was used to assess the quality of the studies retrieved. A total of 22 studies were reviewed. Only 5 studies were included in the meta-analysis because interventions were highly heterogeneous and studies targeted a variety of different outcomes. The results of the meta-analyses were not significant for glycemia or hypertension outcomes, confirming that health literacy interventions were ineffective for the diabetic and hypertensive populations. The positive effects observed for each type of intervention, yielding significant results for only some outcomes and improvements in intragroup scores, demonstrated the interventions had good acceptability by older adults with limited health literacy. It was not possible, however, to conclude which intervention strategies had a significant positive effect on improving health outcomes in these patients. Further high-quality randomized clinical trials employing greater methodological rigor in assessing results are needed to elucidate the potential benefits of interventions in this population.

Keywords : Aging; Health literacy; Health professionals; Randomized clinically controlled trial.

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