JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Digital health literacy is seen as a health determinant that can influence health and well-being, health equity, and the reduction of social inequalities in health. However, digital health literacy is often limited among forced migrant populations. They do not always have the capacity and skills to understand and evaluate health information or to access and use digital health resources appropriately.

Objective:

Our objectives are as follows: (1) identify effective interventions designed to improve digital health literacy among forced migrant populations, (2) define the categories and describe the characteristics of these interventions that are designed to enhance the capabilities of forced migrants or adapt digital health services to meet the needs and expectations of forced migrant populations.

Methods:

We conducted a mixed methods systematic review according to the PRISMA 2020 checklist, involving an iterative process among authors. A medical information specialist assisted in developing a search strategy for the six most relevant databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Academic Search Premier, PsycINFO) and the Google Scholar search engine, covering studies published between 2000 and 2022. Pairs reviewers selected, individually and independently, titles, abstracts, and then full texts. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed by two reviewers and validated by a senior researcher. We employed narrative synthesis to provide a comprehensive overview of effective digital health literacy interventions for forced migrant populations, highlighting the success factors of these.

Results:

A total of 1,232 studies were identified, with only 6 were finally selected for narrative synthesis. The analysis reveals a diverse methodological landscape with a predominance of qualitative approaches aimed at understanding the challenges and needs of forced migrants concerning digital health literacy. The main challenges were associated with cultural, linguistic, and practical contexts. Interventions targeted various groups, including the elderly, those with low literacy or education, and individuals with limited digital experience. We identified four effective intervention categories to enhance digital health literacy among forced migrants: training, social support, empowerment, and educational, technological, and infrastructural support. Overall, most studies have reported positive results in terms of improving digital health literacy among forced migrants.

Conclusions:

This systematic review highlights the importance of improving digital health literacy among forced migrant populations, which enables them to promote their health and well-being. In addition, it provides comprehensive knowledge about effective interventions conducted with these groups. These findings can inform policymakers, care providers, community-based organizations as well as forced migrant populations themselves on the need to address the issue of low digital health literacy among forced migrant populations. For the future, it is therefore essential for these stakeholders to develop innovative initiatives that rely on holistic approaches and are based on the specific needs of forced migrants to improve equity and health outcomes.