Health literacy in young children (age 4-8): a mixed-methods systematic review

Abstract

Background In recent years, there has been an increased focus on health literacy within children and adolescents, yet there is a paucity of research within the period of early childhood despite specific developmental and cognitive differences to older children in how they understand and conceptualise health. To best support the development and maintenance of health literacy within this specific population, we undertook a systematic review to identify theoretical definitions, models and outcomes in studies of health literacy in young children aged 4-8