Publications
Below is a selection of our publications.
Advancing Health Literacy Interventions – Don Nutbeam and Danielle Muscat
The past 25 years has seen extraordinary growth in interest in health literacy among researchers, policy-makers and practitioners. This interest has been underpinned by academic debate about the concept, definition, and measurement of health literacy, and further strengthened by a growing volume of research that [...]
Breast density notification: evidence on whether benefit outweighs harm is required to inform future screening practice – Brooke Nickel et al
Breast density is one of a number of independent risk factors for breast cancer. Having dense breasts (heterogeneously dense or extremely dense) is prevalent in 40%–50% of women in the breast screening population, making it one of the most common risk factors for breast cancer. Separate [...]
Women’s experiences of the renewed National Cervical Screening Program in Australia 12 months following implementation: a qualitative study – Rachael Dodd et al
This study explored women's experiences of the renewed National Cervical Screening Program in Australia from the perspective of women who have received different human papillomavirus (HPV) test results. Women aged 25 to 74 are now screened every 5 years with primary HPV screening. Women show [...]
How do patients and the public understand overtesting and overdiagnosis? A protocol for a thematic meta-synthesis of qualitative research – Tom Rozbroj et al
Examining patient and public understanding of overtesting and overdiagnosis (OverTD) is vital for reducing the burden of OverTD. Studies from disparate contexts, disciplines and focusing on disparate healthcare issues have examined patient and public understanding of OverTD. A synthesis is needed to bring this literature [...]
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 (Preprint)
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 [...]