Associations of health literacy with blood pressure and dietary salt intake among adults: A systematic review
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2021
Abstract
Health literacy has been recognized as a significant social determinant of health, defined as the ability to access, understand, appraise, and apply health-related information across healthcare, disease prevention, and health promotion. This systematic review aims to understand the relationship between health literacy, blood pressure, and dietary salt intake. A web-based search of PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, ProQuest, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Prospero was performed using specified search/MESH terms and keywords. Two reviewers independently performed the data extraction and analysis, cross-checked, reviewed, and resolved any discrepancies by the third reviewer. Twenty out of twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria and were rated as good quality papers and used in the final analysis. Higher health literacy had shown to have better blood pressure or hypertension knowledge. However, the relationship between health literacy with dietary salt intake has shown mixed and inconsistent findings. Studies looking into the main four domains of health literacy are still limited. More research exploring the links between health literacy, blood pressure, and dietary salt intake in the community is warranted. Using appropriate and consistent health literacy tools to evaluate the effectiveness of salt reduction as health promotion programs is required.
Keywords
Health literacy, Blood pressure, Hypertension, Salt intake, Adult, Systematic review
Divisions
fac_med
Funders
Newton Fund Impact Scheme,Malaysia Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT)
Publication Title
Nutrients
Volume
13
Issue
12
Publisher Location
ST ALBAN-ANLAGE 66, CH-4052 BASEL, SWITZERLAND