Investigating readability, understandability, and actionability of COVID-19 information materials produced by Ministry of Health in Malawi

For people to benefit from health information materials, they need to be health literate. Health literacy is defined as "degree to which individuals have capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions". Some health information materials demand higher health literacy levels than others. Health literacy demand is defined as the complexity and difficulty of health related stimulus. Health literacy demand is measured by readability, understandability, and actionability. Readability is a measure of how easy a piece of text is to read. Understandability is the extent to which consumers from diverse backgrounds and varying levels of health literacy are able to process and explain key messages. On the other hand, actionability concerns the extent to which consumers from diverse backgrounds and varying levels of health literacy are able to identify what they can do based on the information presented. Therefore, this study aims to investigate readability, understandability and actionability of COVID-19 information materials in Malawi. The study will also assess information needs of, and sources used by, health workers and general population in Malawi. Expected Outputs  A scoping review published in a peer-reviewed journal  Readable, understandable and actionable information materials