Publications
Below is a selection of our publications.
Willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 in Australia – Rachael Dodd et al (letter)
More than half of the world’s population faces long-term restrictions as the new normal to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If a vaccine becomes available, it might be possible to develop herd immunity and protect those who are most vulnerable to serious consequences of COVID-19. [...]
Learners’ experience and perceived impact of a health literacy program in adult basic education: a qualitative study – Danielle Muscat et al
Adult literacy programs aim to empower learners to participate more effectively in everyday life. This includes programs with health content embedded in curricula to target health literacy. Adult learners who attend these programs represent a heterogeneous population, but include a high proportion of hard-to-reach or [...]
Effect of different communication strategies about stopping cancer screening on screening intention and cancer anxiety: a randomised online trial of older adults in Australia – Jenna Smith et al
This randomised controlled trial used an experimental online design to test different strategies for communicating the counter-intuitive idea of stopping cancer screening to older adults. Previous work has focused on what older adults prefer when it comes to discussing stopping screening; our study tests how [...]
Web-Based Health Information Following the Renewal of the Cervical Screening Program in Australia: An Evaluation of the Readability, Understandability and Credibility – Olivia Mac et al
Three main changes were implemented in the Australian National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) in December 2017: an increase in the recommended age to start screening, extended screening intervals, and change from the Papanicolaou (Pap) test to primary human papillomavirus screening (cervical screening test). This study [...]
Implementing changes to cervical screening: A qualitative study with health professionals – Rachael Dodd et al
Profound changes were made to the Australian National Cervical Screening Program in December 2017, which included a reduction in the frequency of screening and a new cervical screening test. The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes and experiences of health professionals practising [...]
Disparities in COVID-19 related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours by health literacy – Kirsten McCaffery et al
This study explored the variation in understanding, attitudes and uptake of COVID-19 health advice during the 2020 pandemic lockdown by health literacy amongst the Australian general public. The main outcome measures of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to COVID-19; health literacy and socio-demographic factors showed that people [...]
Health literacy and shared decision-making: exploring the relationship to enable meaningful engagement in healthcare – Danielle Muscat et al
Research into health literacy and shared decision-making has largely developed along parallel, but distinct lines over the past two decades. There is little evidence that the concepts and related practice have intersected except in the most functional way, for example, to simplify shared decision-making tools [...]
Development and evaluation of a health literacy training program for allied health professionals: A pre-post study assessing impact and implementation outcomes – Danielle Muscat et al
We developed and evaluated a health literacy training program for allied health professionals, and explored the feasibility of a train‐the‐trainer model to support dissemination. The program combined didactic and experiential teaching methods and behaviour change techniques, with a focus on teachback and developing easy‐to‐understand written [...]
Embedding a Health Literacy Intervention Within Established Parenting Groups: An Australian Feasibility Study – Danielle Muscat et al
A significant proportion of new parents in high-income countries have lower health literacy, but few health literacy interventions exist for this group. This study investigated the feasibility of delivering health literacy content within existing postnatal parenting groups.
The Impact of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program on Health Literacy: A Pre-Post Study Using a Multi-Dimensional Health Literacy Instrument – Danielle Muscat et al
This study assessed the impact of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) on different domains of health literacy using a pre-post study design. Participants aged over 16 years and with one or more self-reported chronic diseases were recruited for the CDSMP in western Sydney (a [...]