A Systematic Review of Health Literacy Interventions for People Living with HIV

Health literacy significantly impacts health-related outcomes among people living with HIV. Our aim was to systematically review current literature on health literacy interventions for people living with HIV. The authors conducted a thorough literature search following the PRISMA statement and the AMSTAR checklist as a guide, and found six studies that met inclusion/exclusion criteria. The majority of these interventions were designed to improve HIV treatment adherence as well as HIV knowledge and treatment-related skills, with one study focusing on e-Health literacy. Several of the studies demonstrated trends toward improvement in medication adherence, but most did not achieve statistical significance primarily due to methodological limitations. Significant improvements in knowledge, behavioral skills, and e-Health literacy were found following interventions (p = 0.001–0.05). Health literacy interventions have the potential to promote HIV-related knowledge, behavioral skills, and self-management practices. More research is needed to assess the efficacy of interventions to promote a variety of self-management practices.