eHealth Literacy Interventions With U.S.-Based Older Adult Spanish-Speaking Latinos: An Empty Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Literacy
• Gerontology

Background:

• eHealth empowers health management but requires eHealth literacy.
• Older adults, particularly Spanish-speaking Latinos in the U.S., exhibit low eHealth literacy.
• There is a critical need for evidence-based eHealth literacy interventions tailored for this demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify strategies used by researchers to include older adult Spanish-speaking Latinos in eHealth interventions.
• To assess the effectiveness of these inclusion strategies.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across six databases for studies published from 2000 to 2024.
• Inclusion criteria focused on U.S.-based, Spanish-speaking Latino participants aged 65+, eHealth literacy outcomes, and intervention details.
• Studies lacking adaptation strategies for Spanish speakers or using only phone/text interventions were excluded.

Main Results:

• A total of 2,362 articles were initially identified.
• After screening, 70 articles underwent full-text review.
• Crucially, no studies met the inclusion criteria for this review.

Conclusions:

• The review identified a significant gap in research on eHealth literacy interventions for older adult Spanish-speaking Latinos.
• This lack of evidence highlights an urgent need for targeted research and intervention development.
• Researchers are encouraged to draw from related literature to inform future studies until specific evidence emerges.