Health Literacy in Iranian Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Inadequate health literacy (HL) is associated with poorer health outcomes and worse health care. Up to one-half of Iranian women have difficulty in interpreting medical information, and national HL assessment has been limited in Iran. We have undertaken a systematic review of the literature and used a meta-analysis to examine the situation of HL status in Iranian women, and determine the relationship between HL and self-efficacy, and self-care behaviors.

Six databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, Scientific Information Database) and other non-indexed citations were searched using a variety of keywords regarding HL and Iranian women. The bias risk was decreased by the involvement of two independent reviewers assessing study quality and eligibility of included articles.

The average HL scores were in the range of marginal or limited (63.08; 95% CI, 59.83–66.32) in the Iranian women. The HL score was significantly higher among pregnant women (67.55; 95% CI, 32.54– 82.57) and was lower in women with chronic disease (57.79; CI, 48.34-67.24). There was a significant association between HL and self-efficacy and self-care behaviors.

The average level of HL in the period of the review was marginal among Iranian women. The relationship of HL with self-efficacy and self-care behaviors was statistically significant but moderate.