Work-Related Health Literacy: A Scoping Review to Clarify the Concept.

Anna T Ehmann,Achim Siegel,Monika A Rieger,Eylem Ög

doi:10.3390/ijerph18199945

Abstract

The overall aim of this scoping review is to outline the current state of research on health literacy (HL) in the workplace: the primary objective is to clarify the concept of individual work-related HL; the secondary aims are to report on interventions that promote individual work-related HL and to present respective measurement instruments validated to date. A high level of work-related HL could support work ability and in the longer run employability. These topics are becoming increasingly important in current circumstances and in view of ongoing developments (e.g., digitalization and “new” work). A basic understanding and measurement of HL as an individual competence in the context of working life is necessary to develop future interventions to promote HL among people of working age. According to the participants, concept, and context (PCC) framework, we included articles on health literacy (concept) in the target group of people of working age in the workplace (population and context). Key information sources were the databases PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and PSYNDEX. A total of 30 articles were included. There are several terms for “health literacy in the workplace” (including individual work-related or occupational HL). The conceptualizations of the individual employee’s competence covered all aspects of HL (“access”, “understand”, “appraise”, and “apply” health information). The conceptualizations differed, among others, in the covered time horizon (referring either only to employees’ current work situation or additionally to their employability in the lifespan) or whether they referred also to the viability of the respective company. Published interventions attempting to promote individual work-related HL seem mostly to be targeted at the promotion of mental HL. A variety of outcomes have been measured in intervention studies, while specific measurement instruments for individual work-related HL seem to be scarce. We recommend the development of country-specific instruments for the assessment of individual work-related health literacy and to measure mental and physical work-related health literacy.

Highlights

Introduction published maps and institutional affilIndividuals’ participation in the workforce plays a central role in providing them a livelihood and a basis for social insurances and social participation
The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the current state of research on individual health literacy in the workplace and to contribute to clarifying the concept of work-related health literacy
As part of the full-text analysis, additional articles were excluded or added for the results presented in this scoping review

Summary

Introduction

Individuals’ participation in the workforce plays a central role in providing them a livelihood and a basis for social insurances and social participation. Work is an influential factor during the life course and has a potentially large impact on one’s health and well-being [1]. At work, increasing complexity, rapid changes, and the altered working environment as a result of globalization and digitalization are causing—amongst other things—an increase in self-employed people and the blurring of work–life and other areas of life [2,3,4]. In consideration of changes in work environments, including tendencies toward greater flexibility and altered employment biographies, managing one’s own health is increasingly gaining in iations

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