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Research on Health Literacy and Health Promotion in Healthcare
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Research on Health Literacy and Health Promotion in Healthcare

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 October 2026 | Viewed by 4447

Editor

Dr. Jovana Todorović

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr. Subotica 15, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: public health; health promotion; behavioral addictions; behavioral change; physical activity; burden of disease; health management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Health promotion activities and activities for the improvement of health literacy are of growing interest in today’s world. Health promotion activities are directed to health policies, healthcare regulations, and health education, and provide communities as well as healthcare systems with individuals able to understand, control, and improve their own health. With increasing levels of health literacy, the capabilities of individuals to make their own educated decisions increase. However, although there have been numerous studies on both health promotion and health literacy, numerous gaps in our knowledge on the factors associated with them remain. 

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, ‘Research on Health Literacy and Health Promotion in Healthcare’, which aims to present the current scientific efforts associated with the topics of health literacy and health promotion, factors associated with levels of health literacy, the successes and effectiveness of health promotion activities, and differences in varied population groups, as well as the roles of different actors in healthcare systems and their contributions to the outcomes of these activities.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  1. Health literacy and factors associated with it.
  2. Health promotion activities.
  3. Health promotion in vulnerable population groups.
  4. Health literacy in vulnerable population groups.
  5. Health promotion and non-communicable diseases.
  6. Health promotion and mental health.
  7. Health literacy and health outcomes.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Jovana Todorović
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • health literacy
  • health promotion
  • vulnerable population
  • mental health
  • health promotion programs
  • health promotion activities

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 213 KB  
Article
A Cross-Sectional Study of Large Language Models in Lung Cancer Information Delivery: Readability, Quality, and Patient-Centred Evaluation
by Ömer Önal and Suzan Temiz Bekce
Healthcare 2026, 14(12), 1769; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14121769 - 18 Jun 2026
Viewed by 235
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. As patients increasingly utilize large language models (LLMs) for health information, evaluating the readability and patient-centeredness of these tools is critical. This study aims to compare the performance of ChatGPT-4o mini, [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. As patients increasingly utilize large language models (LLMs) for health information, evaluating the readability and patient-centeredness of these tools is critical. This study aims to compare the performance of ChatGPT-4o mini, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini in providing lung cancer information, focusing on their utility for individuals with limited health literacy. Methods: In this cross-sectional study (March 2026), 30 responses to ten standardized lung cancer-related queries were analyzed. Outputs were assessed using JAMA benchmarks and mDISCERN for quality, the SMOG index for readability, and PEMAT-P for understandability and actionability. Inter-rater reliability was analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Results: ChatGPT-4o mini demonstrated superior readability, achieving a sixth-grade level (SMOG: 6.23 ± 0.72, p < 0.001). Gemini achieved higher JAMA scores, indicating stronger academic rigour. While PEMAT-P scores were highest for ChatGPT (63.7%), all models exhibited moderate mDISCERN quality. Inter-rater reliability was excellent for JAMA (ICC = 1.000) and PEMAT-P (ICC = 0.883), though moderate for mDISCERN (ICC = 0.365), reflecting inherent interpretative subjectivity in qualitative assessment. No hallucinations were observed. Conclusions: Current LLMs exhibit a trade-off between accessibility and academic rigour: ChatGPT favours patient-friendly readability, while Gemini emphasizes structured content. The observed inter-rater variability in mDISCERN underscores the complexity of standardizing qualitative AI evaluation. These findings suggest that LLMs function best as complementary aids rather than substitutes for physician-led communication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Health Literacy and Health Promotion in Healthcare)
18 pages, 898 KB  
Article
Exploring the Awareness of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss from Headphone Use: A Cross-Sectional Study Integrating the Health Belief Model and COM-B Framework
by Ekramy M. Elmorsy, Mugrin Radi A. Alrwaili, Abdullah Shafi D. Alanazi, Rashed Satam B. Alshammari, Omar Mosab Alenazi, Sultan Shayish N. Alanazi, Jazzaa Hassan J. Alshammari and Manal S. Fawzy
Healthcare 2025, 13(23), 3059; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13233059 - 26 Nov 2025
Viewed by 2179
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a growing public health concern, particularly with the widespread use of personal listening devices (PLDs). Limited evidence exists on NIHL awareness and risk factors in the Northern Border Region of Saudi Arabia. This study assessed awareness of [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a growing public health concern, particularly with the widespread use of personal listening devices (PLDs). Limited evidence exists on NIHL awareness and risk factors in the Northern Border Region of Saudi Arabia. This study assessed awareness of NIHL associated with headphone use, identified associated risk factors and preventive attitudes, and interpreted the findings using the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the COM-B framework. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 462 adults (18–60 years) using a validated online questionnaire distributed via social media. The collected data included demographics, PLD utilization, manifestations of hearing loss, knowledge, attitudes, and risk factors. Analysis included descriptive statistics and mapping results to HBM and COM-B constructs. Results: Among respondents, 54.3% were male, and 61.9% held a university degree. Additionally, 40.7% regularly used headphones/earphones, and 53.9% reported exposure to workplace noise. Overall, 74.7% noted at least one symptom of hearing loss, and 42.4% experienced tinnitus. Age, smoking, chronic disease, family history, workplace noise, and PLD use frequency/duration were significantly associated with hearing loss problems (all p < 0.05). While 78.4% recognized high-volume risk, only 58.0% believed NIHL is preventable. Social media was the primary source of information, and most participants favored device- or behavior-based interventions. Model-based analysis revealed gaps in perceived susceptibility and behavioral capability. Conclusions: Despite moderate general awareness, substantial knowledge gaps and unsafe listening behaviors persist. Integration of HBM and COM-B analysis highlights the need for tailored public health approaches and multifaceted NIHL prevention strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Health Literacy and Health Promotion in Healthcare)
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13 pages, 218 KB  
Article
Exploring the Association Between Digital Health Literacy and Burnout and Depression Among TV Journalists During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Serbia
by Ivana Bozovic, Aleksandra Jovic-Vranes, Ivana Stasevic-Karlicic, Dejana Stanisavljevic, Vedrana Pavlovic and Jovana Todorovic
Healthcare 2025, 13(14), 1688; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13141688 - 14 Jul 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1309
Abstract
Introduction: As in other crises, during COVID-19 pandemic, journalists were under immense pressure to report precise scientific information in a timely manner, which may have had a negative influence on their mental health. There could be an association between the digital health literacy [...] Read more.
Introduction: As in other crises, during COVID-19 pandemic, journalists were under immense pressure to report precise scientific information in a timely manner, which may have had a negative influence on their mental health. There could be an association between the digital health literacy of journalists and their mental health. The aim of this article was to explore the association between digital health literacy and burnout and depression among journalists in Serbia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving a total of 180 journalists working on television with national coverage in Serbia. The main research instrument used was a questionnaire with four sections containing personal demographic information, the Digital Health Literacy Instrument, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results: A total of 30% participants were found to have high levels of burnout on the emotional exhaustion (EE) subscale. On the depersonalization (DP) subscale, 10.6% experienced high levels of burnout. On the personal accomplishment (PA) subscale, 38.3% of participants faced high levels of burnout. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed the association between high burnout on the EE scale and health status (OR: 0.597, 95% CI: 0.375–0.952) and protecting privacy (OR: 0.522, 95% CI: 0.311–0.875). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the association between high burnout on the PA scale and information searching (OR: 0.255, 95% CI: 0.124–0.526), sex (OR: 2.594, 95% CI: 1.007–6.68), socioeconomic status (OR: 2.282, 95% CI: 1.133–4.595), and alcohol consumption (OR: 2.188, 95% CI: 1.004–4.769). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed associations between depression and sex (OR: 0.180, 95% CI: 0.059–0.548), health status (OR: 0.316, 95% CI: 0.160–0.626), the use of anti-anxiety medications (OR: 7.303, 95% CI: 3.167–16.840), information searching (OR: 0.432, 95% CI: 0.191–0.981), and protecting privacy (OR: 0.443, 95% CI: 0.233–0.841). Conclusions: Our study showed a negative association between different domains of burnout, depression, and scores on protecting privacy and information searching scales. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Health Literacy and Health Promotion in Healthcare)
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