Version 1
: Received: 11 September 2024 / Approved: 11 September 2024 / Online: 12 September 2024 (02:56:44 CEST)
How to cite:
Sørensen, K.; Knoll, V.; Ramos, N.; Boateng, M.; Almeyehu, G.; Schamberger, L.; Harsch, S. Health Literacy in Africa – A Scoping Review. Preprints2024, 2024090887. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0887.v1
Sørensen, K.; Knoll, V.; Ramos, N.; Boateng, M.; Almeyehu, G.; Schamberger, L.; Harsch, S. Health Literacy in Africa – A Scoping Review. Preprints 2024, 2024090887. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0887.v1
Sørensen, K.; Knoll, V.; Ramos, N.; Boateng, M.; Almeyehu, G.; Schamberger, L.; Harsch, S. Health Literacy in Africa – A Scoping Review. Preprints2024, 2024090887. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0887.v1
APA Style
Sørensen, K., Knoll, V., Ramos, N., Boateng, M., Almeyehu, G., Schamberger, L., & Harsch, S. (2024). Health Literacy in Africa – A Scoping Review. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0887.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Sørensen, K., Laura Schamberger and Stefanie Harsch. 2024 "Health Literacy in Africa – A Scoping Review" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0887.v1
Abstract
Africa's health landscape is rapidly changing, requiring new solutions such as a focus on health literacy. However, there is currently a limited overview of the development and application of health literacy in African countries and societies. To inform progress, a scoping review was conducted, including a systematic literature search of research approaches, historical developments, geographic origins, target populations and settings, and topical interests. 336 articles were retrieved from six databases following PRISMA guidelines. Sources identified included reports, policy briefs, book chapters, and research publications. The analysis provided the most comprehensive overview of the current scope and scale of health literacy in Africa to date. The publications represented 38 of the 54 African Union countries and dated back to 2001, although most were published in the last decade. The content analysis identified 13 broad themes, including mental health, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, maternal health, digital health, information and communication, health care, prevention and health promotion, conceptual perspectives, cultural perspectives, outcomes and measurement. The stakeholder analysis revealed a wide range of actors involved in different settings, mostly in health care or community settings. These comprehensive and novel findings can be used to prioritize future actions for public and professional capacity building, policy development and improved practice to improve health literacy for all in Africa.
Keywords
health literacy; Africa; African Union
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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