Addressing health literacy among long-term unemployed persons: the FORESIGHT intervention study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Literacy Research
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Long-term unemployment poses significant health risks and is linked to low health literacy.
• Occupational rehabilitation settings offer a unique opportunity to improve health literacy among this population.
• This study aimed to develop and evaluate a targeted health literacy intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and test a novel intervention to enhance health literacy.
• To focus on nutrition, physical activity, and mental health literacy.
• To assess intervention feasibility and potential impact in occupational rehabilitation organizations.

Main Methods:

• Intervention developed using the Intervention Mapping protocol, incorporating problem-based learning and practical activities.
• Single-arm pre-post design with validated health literacy assessments (HLS-EU-Q16, Newest Vital Sign).
• Organizational readiness assessed via interviews with staff; individual outcomes analyzed using paired t-tests and regression models.

Main Results:

• Nine organizations participated; 171 individuals at baseline, 110 at six-month follow-up.
• Positive trends observed in food literacy and mental health literacy.
• No significant changes in general or functional health literacy; participation-outcome relationship unclear.

Conclusions:

• The intervention demonstrated feasibility and potential for small improvements in proximal outcomes.
• Further research is required to establish the effectiveness of this problem-based learning approach.
• Occupational rehabilitation settings are viable for health literacy interventions, but refinement is needed.