Enhancing health literacy among immigrant women

Authors

Amy Barton, University of Colorado
Janet R. Katz, Washington State University
Carolina Huerta, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Cathy D. Meade, University of South Florida
Karen Moore, Saint Louis University
Connie Nguyen-Truong, Washington State University
Mary Nies, Idaho State University
Diane Lauver, University of Wisconsin

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-2026

Abstract

Immigrant women (IW) are faced with health literacy (HL) demands, including locating and understanding suitable health information and navigating health care systems. Both personal and organizational HL are crucial to facilitate IW's health care access, quality of care received, and health outcomes. Key factors influencing IW's HL include socio-environmental resources and the customization of health information by health care organizations. We identify selected health issues of IW, share definitions and dimensions of HL, present a useful model for understanding drivers and consequences of HL, and offer evidence-based nursing approaches to promote HL. Implementing these approaches will align nurses' practice with the American Academy of Nursing policy priorities for 2025 to 2026, specifically to increase accessibility to all forms of health care and improve the health and well-being of communities.

Comments

Original published version available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2025.102658

Recommended Citation

Barton, A., Katz, J. R., Huerta, C., Meade, C. D., Moore, K., Nguyen-Truong, C., Nies, M., & Lauver, D. (2026). Enhancing health literacy among immigrant women. Nursing outlook, 74(1), 102658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2025.102658

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Publication Title

Nursing outlook

DOI

10.1016/j.outlook.2025.102658