Tools to Measure Health Literacy among US African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos with Type 2 Diabetes: A Scoping Review of the Literature.

This is a scoping review of validation studies, not a trial or meta-analysis, so it maps available tools and authors' recommendations rather than proving that any tool improves patient care. The search may have missed relevant literature, and two included studies had samples with a small percentage of adults with type 1 diabetes, which could bias a review focused on type 2 diabetes. No included study had a sample comprised only of African Americans, and African American samples were mostly higher income and education, so findings may not represent African American patients with low health literacy. Hispanic/Latino samples were mostly Mexican American, so tools may not apply to other Hispanic/Latino backgrounds. Evidence was mixed for some tools, such as SKILLD, and five studies reported Cronbach's alpha scores less than adequate.

The authors declared no conflict of interest. The article metadata indicates NIH extramural research support, but the text gives no funding statement.

Do not read this as evidence that health literacy screening improves diabetes care. The review reports which tools were validated or recommended in certain groups, but it does not test patient outcomes or show that choosing one tool changes care.