Open research questions in Health Literacy and Information Accessibility

What the literature leaves open

• Future studies should invite nonmedical health workers to evaluate the understandability and actionability of health education videos using the C-PEMAT-A/V scale, - Future studies should include other clinical disciplines, - Future studies should consider the perspective of the public

  Chinese translation, cultural adaptation, and psychometric testing of the patient education materials assessment tool for audiovisual materials · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of a tool to assess the quality of health education videos in the Chinese context. The need for a culturally adapted version of the PEMAT-A/V for the Chinese population. The limited generalizability of the original PEMAT-A/V to the Chinese context.

  Chinese translation, cultural adaptation, and psychometric testing of the patient education materials assessment tool for audiovisual materials · 2026 · DOI

• further research is needed to evaluate the impact of health information on YouTube on the viewers' behavior or attitudes, - future studies could investigate the effectiveness of promoting expert sources on YouTube, - future research could explore the use of other social media platforms for health information

  Quality and Reliability of HPV Vaccine Information on YouTube: A Cross-Sectional Study using Multiple Scales · 2026 · DOI

• There are concerns about the quality and accuracy of health content on YouTube. The quality and reliability of HPV vaccine information on YouTube is uncertain. Previous research has not fully addressed the quality and reliability of HPV vaccine information on YouTube.

  Quality and Reliability of HPV Vaccine Information on YouTube: A Cross-Sectional Study using Multiple Scales · 2026 · DOI

• Evidence from Chinese primary school settings, particularly from inland, rapidly urbanizing regions, remains scarce. There is a need to assess the nutrition literacy level of 4th-5th graders in Chongqing, China, and identify its key influencing factors.

  Low nutrition literacy among 4th−5th graders in Chongqing, China: a wake-up call for school health and factors associated with nutrition literacy · 2026 · DOI

• small sample size of 21 participants, - limited to English proficient participants, - participants were experienced with online information searching

  From search agents to dissemination interfaces: understanding human trust in health information from conversational search · 2026 · DOI

• further study on the role of search autonomy and familiarity in trust formation, - investigation of trust mechanisms in different types of search agents and dissemination interfaces

  From search agents to dissemination interfaces: understanding human trust in health information from conversational search · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies the challenge of addressing online health misinformation among future healthcare professionals. The study highlights the difficulty of verifying the accuracy of online health information. The study notes the challenge of developing effective strategies to reduce susceptibility to online health misinformation among nursing students.

  Associations between susceptibility to online health misinformation, health risk behaviors and vaccine hesitancy among nursing students in Greece · 2026 · DOI

• Research on the association between online health misinformation susceptibility and health-related behaviors among nursing students remains extremely limited. There is a need to examine the association between susceptibility to online health misinformation and health behaviors and vaccine hesitancy among nursing students.

  Associations between susceptibility to online health misinformation, health risk behaviors and vaccine hesitancy among nursing students in Greece · 2026 · DOI

• investigating the impact of lymphedema-related videos on patient outcomes, - exploring the effectiveness of different video formats and lengths, - examining the role of social media in lymphedema education and awareness

  The reliability and quality of short videos as health information of guidance for lymphedema: a cross-sectional study · 2025 · DOI

• The reliability and quality of health information on short video-sharing platforms need to be validated. There is a lack of assessment of lymphedema-related information on Chinese short video-sharing platforms.

  The reliability and quality of short videos as health information of guidance for lymphedema: a cross-sectional study · 2025 · DOI

• collect samples across multiple days and compare data from different time points, - employ more sophisticated natural language processing techniques to capture semantic subtleties, - consider collecting samples from platforms in other languages

  Hip fractures in Chinese TikTok (Douyin) short videos: an analysis of information quality, content and user comment attitudes · 2025 · DOI

• The internal reliability is sensitive to the number of participants (moderators). The study only evaluated the quality of information about Amitriptyline available on websites. The study used a limited number of assessment tools (four tools). The study did not evaluate the effectiveness of the Keystone criteria in other domains. The study did not compare the Keystone criteria with other domain-specific tools.

  Evaluating the effectiveness and limitations of online health information tools in assessing the quality of medication-related content · 2025 · DOI

• Scant research has concentrated specifically on the quality of web-based drug information. A potential reason for this neglect could be the increasing prominence of internet-based health information-seeking activities, which has become more widespread in recent years.

  Evaluating the effectiveness and limitations of online health information tools in assessing the quality of medication-related content · 2025 · DOI

• There is a lack of studies on health literacy of people with chronic illness using a multidimensional approach. Prior studies have not compared health literacy across different domains and groups.

  Health literacy and chronic disease: a comparison of somatic and mental illness · 2025 · DOI

• Further exploration of the mechanisms by which health literacy and self-efficacy influence QoL, - Investigation of the interaction between health literacy and self-efficacy, - Research on the impact of health literacy and self-efficacy on QoL in different populations

  The relationship between self-efficacy, health literacy, and quality of life in patients with chronic diseases: a cross-sectional study in China · 2024 · DOI

• The study identifies challenges in using digital health information, particularly in protecting privacy and evaluating reliability. Teachers reported difficulties in determining who has access to their data and assessing the security of their private data. The study highlights the need for further research on individual and school-level factors associated with digital health literacy.

  Digital health literacy among primary and secondary school teachers—a quantitative study · 2024 · DOI

• Limited predictive power of the variables included, - No information on the response rate of the survey, - The study only examined German primary and secondary school teachers

  Digital health literacy among primary and secondary school teachers—a quantitative study · 2024 · DOI

• College students face new challenges, such as academic responsibilities, financial worries, and adaptation to new life circumstances. Limited health literacy is a common issue among individuals, including Chinese college students. The study had to control for socioeconomic and family-related factors that are positively associated with low health literacy.

  A study on the effect of school and family environments and self-efficacy on health literacy of college students · 2024 · DOI

• Further research is needed to investigate the relationship between nutrition literacy and health outcomes. Studies should explore the effectiveness of interventions to improve nutrition literacy among primary school students. Research should examine the impact of family-related factors on nutrition literacy.

  Low nutrition literacy among 4th−5th graders in Chongqing, China: a wake-up call for school health and factors associated with nutrition literacy · 2026 · DOI

• The gap identified is the lack of integration between scientific quality standards and practical user needs in health communication.

  Reinventing health communication for the digital era · 2026 · DOI

• Further research is needed to improve the quality and reliability of breast cancer-related video content on social media platforms. Studies can investigate the impact of high-quality health education videos on people's awareness of breast cancer. Research can explore the effectiveness of Internet-based interventions in improving the quality of life of breast cancer patients.

  Assessment of the reliability and quality of breast cancer related videos on TikTok and Bilibili: cross-sectional study in China · 2024 · DOI

• The relationship between self-efficacy, health literacy, and quality of life in patients with chronic diseases is not well understood. The mechanisms by which health literacy and self-efficacy influence quality of life are not well understood. There is a need for studies that investigate the combined effects of self-efficacy and health literacy on quality of life.

  The relationship between self-efficacy, health literacy, and quality of life in patients with chronic diseases: a cross-sectional study in China · 2024 · DOI

• Future studies should investigate the causal relationships between reproductive health information sources and self-reported contraceptive familiarity, - longitudinal studies should be conducted to examine the effects of different information sources on contraceptive familiarity over time

  Sources of reproductive health information and their associations with self-reported contraceptive familiarity and education needs among female college students: a cross-sectional study in China · 2026 · DOI

• Few studies have systematically examined information source as the primary exposure variable in relation to contraceptive familiarity and education needs. The relationship between information source, contraceptive familiarity, and education needs remains unclear.

  Sources of reproductive health information and their associations with self-reported contraceptive familiarity and education needs among female college students: a cross-sectional study in China · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Health Literacy and Information Accessibility

• Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix. · Psychological Bulletin · 1959 · 11,622 citations
• DISCERN: an instrument for judging the quality of written consumer health information on treatment choices. · Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health · 1999 · 2,914 citations
• The evolving concept of health literacy · Social Science & Medicine · 2008 · 2,337 citations
• Empirical Studies Assessing the Quality of Health Information for Consumers on the World Wide Web · JAMA · 2002 · 1,457 citations
• Association of Health Literacy With Diabetes Outcomes · JAMA · 2002 · 1,375 citations
• Health Literacy: Report of the Council on Scientific Affairs · JAMA · 1999 · 1,047 citations
• The Swedish SF-36 Health Survey—I. Evaluation of data quality, scaling assumptions, reliability and construct validity across general populations in Sweden · Social Science & Medicine · 1995 · 926 citations
• Closing the Loop · Archives of Internal Medicine · 2003 · 914 citations
• Health Information on the Internet · JAMA · 2001 · 911 citations
• Understanding and Responding to Health Literacy as a Social Determinant of Health · Annual Review of Public Health · 2020 · 904 citations

Most recent work

• The Quality of Evidence of and Engagement With Video Medical Claims · JAMA Network Open · 2026
• Quality and reliability of sarcopenia-related videos on BiliBili and TikTok: a cross-sectional content analysis study · BMC Public Health · 2026
• Digital health literacy in medical education: a scoping review of current challenges and development strategies · BMC Medical Education · 2026
• Educational performance of TikTok short videos for age related macular degeneration and its link to user engagement · Frontiers in Medicine · 2026
• A medication literacy instrument for older chronic disease patients in China: development and validation · BMC Geriatrics · 2026
• Source credibility matters: assessing the quality of periodontitis educational content on Chinese social media · BMC Oral Health · 2026
• Popularity versus quality in TikTok educational videos on congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction · Frontiers in Medicine · 2026
• The relationship between digital health literacy and mental health promotion behaviors among Chinese older adults: exploring the mediating role of health beliefs · BMC Geriatrics · 2026
• Understanding digital health literacy in later life: the role of sociodemographic and health-related factors – a cross-sectional study · BMC Geriatrics · 2026
• Differences in online health information source utilization and a mediation model of eHealth literacy, health behaviors, physical well-being, and quality of life among older adults in Israel · Educational Gerontology · 2026

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