Health literacy interventions among patients with chronic diseases: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness and impact of health literacy interventions for patients with chronic diseases. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and EBSCO CINAHL from inception through March 2022. Eligible chronic diseases include diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. RCTs were included in eligible studies to assess health literacy and other relevant health outcomes. Two investigators selected studies, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality of included studies independently. A total of 18 studies involving 5384 participants were included in the final analysis. The implementation of health literacy interventions exhibited a significant improvement in the health literacy level of individuals diagnosed with chronic diseases (SMD = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.40–1.10). Analysis of heterogeneity sources indicated statistically significant variations in the effects of interventions across different diseases and age groups (P