Health literacy in the general population in the context of epidemic or pandemic coronavirus outbreak situations: Rapid scoping review

Objective: The aim of this rapid scoping review, for which only studies from the general population were considered, was to describe the extent of existing research on HL in the context of previous coronavirus outbreaks (SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2). Methods: We searched major databases and included publications of quantitative and qualitative studies in English and German on any type of research on the functional, critical and communicative domains of HL conducted in the context of the three outbreaks in the general population. We extracted and tabulated relevant data and narratively reported where and when the study was conducted, the design and method used, and how HL was measured. Results: 72 studies were included. Three investigated HL or explicitly referred to the concept of HL, 14 were guided by health behaviour theory. We did not find any study designed to develop or psychometrically evaluate pandemic/epidemic HL instruments, or relate pandemic/epidemic or general HL to a pandemic/epidemic outcome, or any controlled intervention study. Type of assessment of the domains of HL varied widely. Conclusion: Theory-driven observational studies and interventions, examining whether pandemic-related HL can be improved are needed. Practice implications: The development and validation of instruments that measure pandemic-related HL is desirable. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This rapid scoping review aimed to describe the extent of existing research on health literacy (HL) in the context of previous coronavirus outbreaks, including 72 studies. Only three studies investigated HL, and 14 were guided by health behavior theory. There is a need for theory-driven observational studies and interventions to improve pandemic-related HL.