Interactive Health Literacy Research Articles

Teenager dietary behavior and health literacy in China: influencing factors and coping strategies

IntroductionUnderstanding health literacy is important for formulating health policies and conducting public health interventions. We aimed to evaluate the status quo and influencing factors of teenager dietary behavior and health literacy in China, to provide insights to the coping strategies of teenager health.Material and methodsFrom March 1 2021 to May 15, 2021, teenagers in four high schools in Bengbu, China were selected. The "Interactive Health Literacy Questionnaire for Chinese Teenagers "(IHLQCT) was used for assessing health literacy. Mixed linear models were used to analyze the relationship between dietary behavior patterns, IHLQCT and individual characteristics.ResultsA total of 1920 teenagers were included. The average score of IHLQCT was (72.45±8.99). Mixed linear analyses showed that parents' educational level (β=-0.11, 95%CI: -0.19, 0.05), monthly family income (β=0.08, 95%CI:0.02, 0.16), IHLQCT scores (β=0.15, 95%CI: 0.10, 0.23) were associated with the risky dietary behavior patterns in teenagers (all P<0.05). Only child (β=-0.12, 95%CI: -0.35, -0.09), parents' educational level (β=0.49, 95%CI:0.13, 0.95) monthly family income (β=0.14, 95%CI: 0.08, 0.38), IHLQCT scores (β=0.45, 95%CI: 0.24, 0.69) were associated with the protecting dietary behavior patterns (all P<0.05). Only child (β=-0.16, 95%CI: -0.41, -0.07), parents' educational level (β=0.49, 95%CI: 0.11, 0.82) monthly family income (β=0.17, 95%CI: 0.10, 0.41), risky dietary behavior patterns (β=0.34, 95%CI: 0.14, 0.83), protecting dietary behavior patterns (β=0.22, 95%CI: 0.07, 0.51) were associated with the IHLQCT (all P<0.05).ConclusionsTeenager dietary behavior is closely associated with health literacy. There are differences in the dietary behaviors of teenagers under different family characteristics in China.

Improving Health Literacy Knowledge, Behaviors, and Confidence with Interactive Training.

Background:Ensuring that health care professionals are knowledgeable about the influence limited health literacy has on health outcomes and how to apply health literate strategies is crucial to transform quality and safety in care settings. Although many organizational efforts to address health literacy have focused on hospital settings, few have focused on primary care. The designation of a patient-centered medical home requires the need to address integrating health literacy and the training needs of primary care settings.Brief description of activity:An interactive health literacy training intervention was developed, implemented, and evaluated for 25 primary care clinics. This included an online educational module, in-person application activities, and a sustainability plan to continue skill building, reinforce behaviors, and support practice.Implementation:Using a descriptive pre- and post-training design, three survey measures were used to rate health literacy knowledge, behaviors, and confidence levels of more than 475 primary care staff. A pre-training survey was completed prior to completion of an interactive online health literacy module and attendance at an in-person training session which followed. A post-training survey was then completed. Sustainment activities, including lunch and learns, and reinforcement activities by clinic leaders, were initiated to promote use of the strategies in practice. A 1-year follow-up survey was then administered to measure sustainability.Results:The interactive training intervention improved primary care staff's knowledge, behaviors, and confidence in using health literacy strategies with patients and families. Common barriers and facilitators around the use of these strategies were also identified.Lessons learned:Careful consideration should be taken when developing health literacy training to ensure it will be effective, efficient, and sustainable. Using elements that facilitate the transfer of training to practice will help improve success. Addressing barriers and promoting facilitators, as well as integrating and connecting health literacy strategies with existing organizational goals and initiatives offer additional ways to reinforce and sustain the practice change. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2022;6(2):e113–e120.]Plain Language Summary:Clinic staff can improve how they provide information and education to children and families. Interactive training about health literacy led clinic staff to (1) know more about health literacy, (2) use health literacy strategies more, and (3) feel more confident using health literacy strategies. Training over time, supporting staff, and connecting to organizational goals are important for sustainment.

A Pediatric Resident Curriculum for the Use of Health Literacy Communication Tools.

Background:Despite evidence that use of evidence-based communication tools (EBCT) with a universal precautions approach improves health outcomes, medical trainees report inadequate skills training.Objective:We developed, implemented, and evaluated a novel, interactive curriculum featuring a 30-minute, single-session didactic with video content, facilitated case-based discussions and preceptor modeling to improve use of EBCT among pediatric residents. A direct observation (DO) skills checklist was developed for preceptors to evaluate resident use of EBCT.Methods:Shortly after implementation of the curriculum, residents completed a survey assessing self-reported frequency of EBCT use both pre- and post-intervention. DOs were conducted 2 to 3 weeks after the didactic was completed and scores were compared among residents who participated in the curriculum and those who did not. A longitudinal 6-month follow-up survey was also distributed to assess changes over time.Key Results:Forty-seven of 78 (60%) of residents completed the survey and 45 of 60 (75%) of the eligible residents participated in the DO. There was significant change in self-reported use of all but one EBCT after participation in the curriculum. Residents reported sustained increased frequency of use of all communication tools except for Teach Back, Show Back, and explanation of return precautions in the 6 months following the curriculum. Notably, there was no significant difference in resident scores in the DO among residents who participated in the didactic session and those who did not.Conclusions:This novel interactive curriculum addresses ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) core competencies and fulfills a needed gap in resident curricula for health literacy-related skills training. Findings suggest a small, positive affect on frequency of self-reported use of health literacy EBCT. However, our findings demonstrate a lack of parallel improvement in resident performance during DO. Future curricula may require certain modifications, as well as reinforcement at regular intervals. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2022;6(2):e121–e127.]Plain Language Summary:Use of evidence-based communication tools, such as presenting information in small chunks and avoiding complex medical terms among pediatric trainees, is limited. This study describes a new and interactive health literacy curriculum, with emphasis on preceptor modeling and DO to improve use of evidence-based communication tools among residents. After participation in the curriculum, residents report greater use of evidence-based communication tools. However, results from DO of residents did not demonstrate similar improvements.

A modified Delphi study to identify strategies to promote health literacy in parents of children with cancer

Parents play a key role in the care, monitoring, management of symptoms experienced in children with cancer, the support, and follow-up of treatment. However, there is a paucity of research as how to improve the health literacy of parents with cancer. The aim of this study was to identify the best and most important strategies to promote health literacy in parents of children with cancer. A two-step modified Delphi method was used to establish consensus in Iran in 2021. Fourteen experts representing oncology, clinical nursing, and faculty members of nursing were selected by purposive sampling. In round one, 90 strategies to promote health literacy obtained in the qualitative study were distributed to the experts, which were scored from 1 to 5. In order to discuss statements without consensus in the first round, round two was held in a face-to-face meeting. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and percentage of response frequency were used to calculate agreement levels between experts. In round one, 57 statements reached a consensus. In round two, 21 statements reached a consensus. Finally, 78 statements reached consensus representing four domains including functional health literacy, interactive health literacy, critical health literacy, and care health literacy. Delphi method helps to identify the best and most important strategies to use in health literacy promotion programs for parents of children with cancer. Identifying these strategies will help health officials, planners, and policymakers.

The comparative analysis of level of literacy in issues of health among residents of the Northern Caucasian Federal Okrug

The article presents the results of comparative analysis of level of health literacy of population of the North Caucasian Federal Okrug of The Russian Federation. The analysis established that the level of functional health literacy of respondents depends on gender, education, standards of living and residence. The lower level of this type of health literacy is established in males, residents of rural areas, individuals with lower standard of living and lower level of education (p<0.05). The interactive level of health literacy is higher in females, urban residents and individuals with higher level of education (p<0.05). The respondents that assessed their level of life as being high demonstrated higher level of interactive health literacy (p<0,05). The number of respondents capable to be oriented in necessary planned medical examinations can be considered as a criterion of critical health literacy. The percentage of respondents oriented in this issue is higher in females, citizens and individuals with higher level of education and life (p<0.05).

Development and Validation of the Health Literacy Assessment Instrument for Patients with Chronic Pain.

A suitable health literacy assessment instrument for patients with chronic pain (HLCP) in China with good instrument's psychometric properties is required. A theoretical framework for the HLCP was developed by adopting the hierarchical model of health literacy proposed by Nutbeam. The reliability and validity of the HLCP were tested in a cross-sectional survey of 237 chronic pain patients from three pain clinics and wards of Grade-3A hospitals in Zhejiang Province, China. The discriminant degree method, correlation analysis method, factor analysis method (exploratory factor analysis), half reliability, and other methods were utilized to screen items for inclusion in the final version of HLCP, and the fitness of the model was subsequently evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha value and test-retest with two-week intervals were used to test the internal consistency and retest reliability of the HLCP. In the exploratory factor analysis, three domains, functional health literacy (10 items), interactive health literacy (14 items), and critical health literacy (7 items), comprising 31 items in total, were finally loaded; the model was determined to explain 70.9% of the total variance. HLCP's effective assessment of the health literacy level of patients with chronic pain and its acceptable reliability and validity were revealed through the results.

Association of functional, interactive, and critical health literacy with good self-rated health among Taiwanese community-dwelling older adults

The functional, interactive, and critical domains of health literacy are associated with health. However, studies examining the relationship between health literacy subdomains and health in the Chinese-speaking context are still limited. Thus, we aimed to examine the association of functional, interactive, and critical health literacy with self-rated health among older Taiwanese adults. A total of 1,072 participants aged 60 or older were included in the analysis. Health literacy was measured by the 11-item short-form Mandarin Health Literacy Scale and validated tools. Self-rated health was categorized into good (good/very good), fair, and poor (poor/very poor) status. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that only interactive health literacy was associated with reporting good health status (OR = 2.30; 95% CI = 1.65 to 3.21). Conversely, all health literacy subdomains were not associated with reporting poor health. This study suggested that interactive health literacy was the key determinant of good self-rated health status for community-dwelling older adults.

Parents' Perceptions About Future Digital Parental Support-A Phenomenographic Interview Study.

Background: Parents use digital sources (such as the internet or online forums and applications) during pregnancy and after childbirth to receive informative support. Research shows that there is further need for innovation development in digital parental support despite informative support available in digital form.Purpose: To explore parents' perceptions of future digital parental support concerning pregnancy and the first 18 months of parenthood.Method: A phenomenographic interview study with an inductive approach including 15 semi-structured interviews was conducted.Results: The analysis process resulted in three descriptive categories: Opportunities for virtual and in-person meetings, Individualized digital parental support, and Professional knowledge and trustworthiness concerning future digital parental support.Conclusion: The results broaden the knowledge about how future digital parental support can be designed to facilitate the functional, interactive, and critical digital health literacy of new and would-be parents. To succeed, healthcare organizations should allow healthcare professionals to assume an active role in developing digital parental support, both as health educators (i.e., providing parents with knowledge) and facilitators (i.e., facilitating parents' use of digital parental support). However, parents perceived that future digital parental support should complement standard care instead of replacing in-person meetings with healthcare professionals.

PO-1975 The use of mHealth apps in interactive health literacy – perspectives from healthcare professionals.

PO-1975 The use of mHealth apps in interactive health literacy – perspectives from healthcare professionals.

Digital storytelling within the Australian mining industry: worker engagement and health literacy indicator effects.

The mining industry is a demanding context for workplace health education due to a range of factors including productivity targets, workforce diversity and work roster schedules. This project investigated the impact of digital story health communication on worker engagement and its effect on interactive and critical health literacy indicators. The study comprised a quasi-experimental parallel time series research design, with control and intervention groups at each of the mine sites (n = 2). Workers in the intervention group (n = 85) received a 'toolbox talk' presentation incorporating a digital story featuring a mining industry worker and a leading cardiovascular health expert. The control group (n = 90) received equivalent health information communicated in a non-narrative manner, reflective of typical practices within the mining industry. A significantly greater effect was evident for worker engagement within the intervention group, with substantial maintenance over the follow-up period, compared with no significant effect at follow-up within the control group. Significant effects on interactive health literacy indicators (n = 3) were evident for the intervention group with corresponding lower level or nil effects within the control group. The findings highlight the benefits of evidence-based digital stories as an efficient and efficacious worker-centred health communication strategy for complex industrial workplace environments.

When Stakes Are High and Stress Soars: Addressing Health Literacy in the Critical Care Environment.

When Stakes Are High and Stress Soars: Addressing Health Literacy in the Critical Care Environment.

Health literacy, screen time and associated factors among middle school students in Yinchuan

Objective To investigate the status and influencing factors of health literacy of middle school students in Yinchuan City, to provide reference for health literacy improvement of middle school students in this region. Methods Using stratified cluster sampling method, 2 003 middle school students from three districts of Yinchuan were investigated to complete the questionnaire survey.The survey included basic characteristics, health literacy and screen time status. Results The total score of Chinese Adolescent Interactive Health Literacy Questionnaire was (101.3±17.5). The proportion of high, medium and low level of health literacy were 25.0%, 51.2% and 23.9% respectively; the proportion of long screen time exposure among middle school students was 52.5%. The health literacy level of junior middle school students, middle school students with father or mother education level of high school or above and appropriate screen time were higher than those of the corresponding group (χ 2 =49.90, 14.59, 16.53, 46.73, P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that education group, grade, father’s or mother’s education level and long screen time exposure were associated with middle school students’ health literacy level ( P<0.05). Conclusion The health literacy level of middle school students in Yinchuan City needs to be further improved and targeted health education should be carried out from school, family and society. 【摘要】 目的 了解银川市中学生的健康素养状况及影响因素, 为提髙本地区中学生的健康素养水平提供参考依据。 方法 2019 年 5 月,以分层整群抽样的方法,选择银川市 3 个区的 2 003 名中学生进行问卷调査,调査内容包括基本特征、健 康素养状况和视屏状况等。 结果 银川市中学生中国青少年互动性健康素养问卷总得分为 (101.3±17.5) 分,健康素养水 平髙、中、低的比例分别为 25.0%, 51.2% 和 23.9%; 中学生视屏时间过长的比例为 52.5%; 初中生、父亲或母亲文化程度为 髙中及以上、视屏时间正常的中学生健康素养水平均髙于对应组的学生 (χ 2 值分别为 49.90, 14.59, 16.53, 46.73, P 值均<0.01)。Logistic 回归分析显示,学段、年级、父亲或母亲文化程度、视屏时间过长是中学生健康素养水平的影响因素 ( P 值 均<0.05)。 结论 银川市中学生健康素养水平有待进一步提髙,需要从学校、家庭和社会多层次开展针对性的健康教育。

An Interactive Web-Based Sexual Health Literacy Program for Safe Sex Practice for Female Chinese University Students: Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundSexual health concerns among young adults worldwide help to motivate preventative practices against sexually transmitted infections. To foster better sexual health, sexual health literacy must be enhanced. Little research has been conducted on the impact of gender power dynamics on sexual health, such as sexual coercion, even though the prevalence of sexual coercion remains high in China.ObjectiveThis study describes the development and systematic evaluation of a web-based sexual health literacy intervention called “Smart Girlfriend” for female Chinese university students.MethodsA multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted with 781 female university students at 5 universities with dormitories in Hong Kong. Inclusion criteria were used to select unmarried, female, Chinese university students who were ≥18 years old and had not received a sexual health intervention in the past 12 months. Participants were randomly assigned to 2 groups: one group received an interactive web-based sexual health literacy intervention and the other group received a single webpage of online information about condom use. The intervention content was based on the Health Belief Model and the Continuum of Conflict and Control theory. The primary outcome was self-reported consistency of condom use with every partner at 3-month and 6-month follow-up assessments, analyzed using zero/one inflated beta (ZOIB) regression. The secondary outcome was an appraisal of the knowledge, attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy of condom use using the 25-item Multidimensional Condom Attitudes Scale (MCAS). The intention to treat was applied in analyses.ResultsOf 1503 individuals that were screened, 781 (52%) were randomized into 2 groups. The retention rates at the 3-month and 6-month follow-ups were 92% and 91%, respectively. Most participants were born locally (536/746, 72%), and 18% (134/746) self-reported as a sexual minority. ZOIB results regarding the consistency of condom use were not significant [model 1: odds ratio (OR) 2.25 with a 95% credible interval (CrI) of 0.84-6.36; model 2: OR 8.03 (95% CrI 0.22-330.31); model 3: OR 1.21 (95% CrI 0.78-1.86)]. Consistency in the intervention group was 5% higher (95% CI −1.90 to 11.63) than the control group at the 3-month follow-up, and 1% higher (95% CI −5.81 to 8·02) at the 6-month follow-up. MCAS scores at the 3-month follow-up were significantly higher in the intervention group (mean 122.51, SD 15.97) than the control group (mean 119.86, SD 15.85; P=.02).ConclusionsAn interactive web-based sexual health literacy program did not significantly increase the consistency of condom use compared to a single webpage of condom use information; however, it did temporarily improve knowledge, attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy regarding condom use. Future revisions of this intervention should be personalized and delivered with a proactive approach.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03695679; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03695679

Development of Health Literacy for Regular Hemodialysis Patients in Menoufia Governorate: A Cross-Sectional Study

Health literacy (HL) is essential to access, comprehend, assess and use health data allowing patients to make better health and quality of life decisions. To assess the health literacy level of hemodialysis Egyptian patients, a cross-sectional study from March to September 2020 was conducted at 4 hemodialysis (HD) units on 439 patients. A translated questionnaire including demographic characteristics and health literacy components was conducted. This study adapted Nutbeam’s model incorporating critical health literacy, interactive health literacy, and functional health literacy. Health literacy of hemodialysis patients was satisfactory among 35.5% of the studied patients. The average total score of health literacy questionnaire was (15.53 ± 4.32) distributed as (2.90 ± 1.26) for functional literacy, (3.10 ± 1.26) for basic health knowledge, (1.65 ± 1.21) for communicative literacy, (2.53 ± 0.70) for interactive literacy, (1.75 ± 1.30) for advanced health knowledge, (1.74 ± 0.48) for critical literacy, and (1.83 ± 0.93) for patient safety. It was found that poor health literacy was associated with low income (OR = 2.54, CI 95%: 1.66_3.89, p p p p = 0.033). There was a prevalent low health literacy among the studied regular hemodialysis patients which was affected by education, age and income and in turn it affected the adherence to treatment. Understanding the linkage between HL and self-care attitudes should enhance efforts to improve hemodialysis outcomes.

Factors Influencing the Health Behavior During Public Health Emergency: A Case Study on Norovirus Outbreak in a University

It is known that health belief and health literacy are closely related to health behavior. But, we do not know explicitly how health belief and health literacy interact with each other and determine health behavior change under public health emergencies (PHE). Through the integration of constructs from health belief model (perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, and self-efficacy) and diverse dimensions of health literacy (functional, interactive and critical), a research framework is proposed to examine the underlying mechanism of health behavior change during PHE. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze 386 questionnaire data collected from Chinese university students for the research framework. The analysis results show that (1) both health belief and health literacy have significant impacts on health behavior change during PHE. However, health belief plays a mediating role which affects the health literacy's impact on health behavior; (2) while the increase of perceived severity of disease and self-efficacy promote the health behavior change, the effectiveness of perceived susceptibility on health behavior depends on the increase of perceived severity; and (3) the enhancement of interactive health literacy effectively promotes health behavior change, while functional and critical health literacy reduces the blind change. The results throw lights on health education services and provide references and factors in understanding and encouraging health behavior changes to relevant stakeholders including social media operators, practitioners, social service providers, and policy makers.

Communicating with Companions. The Impact of Companion Empowerment and Companion Literacy on the Well-being of Elderly Patients

ABSTRACT The complexity of the current healthcare ecosystem justifies the convenience of targeting patients’ companions in health communication strategies. Designing successful interventions requires taking into account which keys should be pressed in companions in order to generate positive outcomes in the accompanied patients. In particular, this paper explores how companion health empowerment and companion health literacy affect the well-being of chronically-ill elderly patients. Data for this research come from a cross-sectional quantitative study including 1,814 individuals (907 chronically-ill elderly patients and their 907 companions). Data were collected through two online questionnaires, one for patients and one for companions. The findings suggest that companion health empowerment is defined by the dimensions information search empowerment and knowledge development and decision participation empowerment. Furthermore, the distinction between functional, interactive and critical health literacy has revealed to be useful for comprehending companion health literacy. A structural equation model shows that critical health literacy sets the threshold above which companion health literacy improves accompanied patient well-being, even more so when it is backed up by companion information search empowerment and by companion knowledge development and decision participation empowerment.

Adolescent Health Literacy, Social Media Exposure, and Perceived Health Status

This study determined the relationships of functional, interactive and critical adolescent health literacy with sociodemographic characteristics, social media exposure (SME), and perceived health status (PHS). A total of 314 high school students from Grades 7 to 10 completed a self-administered questionnaire. Findings revealed that functional health literacy is influenced by age (p-value = 0.058) and parents' educational attainment (FEA: p-value = 0.059; MEA: p-value = 0.033); interactive health literacy was only significantly associated with SME (p-value = 0.004); and critical health literacy was significantly correlated with father's educational attainment (p-value = 0.062), SME (p-value = 0.08), and PHS (p-value = 0.019). For the logistic regression model of functional health literacy, only age was a distinct variable, and for interactive health literacy, it was SME. Other variables such as parenting styles, socioeconomic class, and school and peer influences are encouraged for future research for a deeper understanding of adolescent health literacy.

Interactive Health Literacy, Sociodemographic Characteristics and the Uptake of Psychotherapeutic or Pharmacological Interventions - are there Social Inequalities in the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder?

The aim is to investigate the association between sociodemographic characteristics and the interactive health literacy and the time to treatment of social anxiety disorder. An online survey of N = 311 patients was carried out (response rate 54.1 %). Descriptive statistical analysis and a logistic regression analysis were carried out. The respondents are on average 46 years old (20-81), 59 % are women. Older age (OR 2,579), not living in partnership (OR 1,963), fear of personal contact (OR 5,716) and low (OR 3,585) or moderate (OR 3,144) interactive health literacy were significantly associated with the time to treatment. The data suggest that social inequalities exist regarding the use of psychotherapeutic or pharmacological interventions in people with social anxiety disorder.

ВИХОВАННЯ НАВИЧОК МЕДІЙНОЇ ГРАМОТНОСТІ У МАЙБУТНІХ ЛІКАРІВ

The article considers the basic understanding of the concept of media medical literacy and its importance as one of the necessary courses that should be included in the University curriculum, especially nowadays in the epoch of digital development and the information stream. It was found out that there were certain levels of medical literacy: functional health literacy, interactive health literacy, critical health literacy. Level 1 “functional health literacy” reflects the outcome of traditional health education based on the communication of factual information on health risks, and on how to use the health system. Level 2“interactive health literacy” reflects the outcomes to the approach to health education and is focused on the development of personal skills in a supportive environment. Level 3 “critical health literacy” reflects the cognitive and skills development outcomes which are oriented towards supporting effective social action, as well as individual action. Doctors are frequently invited onto a variety of media forums to give their views on health problems, medical discoveries, and to answer the public’s general medical questions. So, different medical and legal aspects of providing medical information through the media were considered. Considering these steps, the doctors have an opportunity of informing a large audience about their health and medications via media avoiding medico-legal pitfalls. Practical pedagogical methods concerning concrete ways of education and integration of media medical literacy into the work of doctors through such methods as “ESCAPE” and “Should It Be Disseminated” were presented.

Health literacy needs in weight management of women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Lifestyle modification plays a key role in weight management and chronic disease prevention in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Women with PCOS experience challenges in adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyle behaviours, which may be related to health literacy. The aims of this study were to explore the health literacy needs of women with PCOS in lifestyle and weight management to inform research and practice. Ten women with PCOS participated in focus groups and semi-structured telephone interviews on lifestyle and weight management in PCOS. For functional health literacy, women with PCOS are highly motivated for lifestyle and weight management due to the long-term consequences of PCOS. For interactive health literacy, barriers included delayed diagnosis and poor communication. Women with PCOS were resourceful in accessing a wide range of weight management services but some experience barriers such as costs or the feelings of embarrassment associated with accessing relevant services. For critical health literacy, no facilitators and barriers could be identified for the domain of participation in making decisions for health. Women with PCOS experience facilitators and barriers in functional and interactive health literacy in lifestyle and weight management. SO WHAT?: Future interventions should seek to further understand and address these gaps in health literacy by increasing weight management skills through behaviour change techniques, improving health professional-patient communication through tools such as question prompt lists, enhancing peer support by increasing distributed health literacy in PCOS support groups and by providing opportunities for co-design of interventions.