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The primary aim of this study was to measure and describe the health literacy profile of adults who were incarcerated in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and who had accessed health services within metropolitan correctional centres. Using data from the 2021 Health Literacy Study conducted by Justice Health NSW, the researchers employed the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) - a validated, multi-dimensional instrument - to capture both the strengths and challenges that this population experiences in relation to health literacy. The study was designed as a cross-sectional patient survey and represents the first application of the HLQ within a prison setting in Australia.

The key findings revealed a nuanced health literacy profile across the 471 participants recruited from 14 metropolitan correctional centres. The sample was predominantly male (81.3%), with a median age of 38 years, and approximately 20.6% of participants self-identified as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or both. Over half (53.3%) reported living with at least one health condition, and fewer than one third (31.2%) had completed Year 12 schooling. While the HLQ data identified areas of relative strength - particularly in participants' ability to engage with and feel understood by healthcare providers - the findings also highlighted meaningful challenges in navigating complex healthcare systems and critically appraising health information. These disparities were especially pronounced among participants with lower educational attainment and among First Nations participants, underscoring the compounding effect of social disadvantage on health literacy capacity within this setting.

A notable strength of this study is its use of the HLQ as a comprehensive, multi-dimensional measurement tool applied on a large scale across multiple correctional sites. Unlike single-scale instruments, the HLQ captures nine distinct domains of health literacy, enabling a more granular understanding of where individuals experience both capability and difficulty. This represents a methodological advancement over previous prison-based health literacy research and generates actionable data that health services can use to tailor interventions accordingly. In terms of limitations, the cross-sectional design prevents any causal inferences being drawn from the data. Furthermore, the exclusion of people who lacked sufficient English proficiency or capacity to provide informed consent, as well as the restriction of participation to those who had already engaged with health services, introduces selection bias. Those with the greatest health literacy challenges - including non-English speakers and individuals who have not accessed health services - were not captured, meaning the findings may actually underestimate the extent of health literacy difficulties across the broader prison population.

This article holds considerable relevance for nursing practice with vulnerable populations. Nurses working in custodial, forensic, or community corrections settings are often the first and most frequent point of clinical contact for incarcerated individuals. The findings emphasise that health literacy cannot be assumed, and that communication strategies must be adapted to meet the diverse needs of patients who may have limited formal education, complex health burdens, and historical disengagement from healthcare systems. For nurses, this means employing plain language, visual aids, and teach-back methods to verify patient understanding. The identification of strengths - such as participants' reported confidence in their relationships with healthcare providers - is also significant, as it suggests that trust-based, person-centred nursing relationships can serve as an entry point for more effective health education and self-management support. The overrepresentation of First Nations Australians in the prison population further calls on nurses to engage with culturally safe and trauma-informed models of care that acknowledge systemic inequity as a determinant of both incarceration and health literacy.

Gill, S., Zeki, R., Kaye, S., Musca, M., Wright, C. J. C., Wand, H., Kaldor, J., & Butler, T. (2023). Health literacy strengths and challenges of people in New South Wales prisons: a cross-sectional survey using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). BMC Public Health, 23, 1520. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16464-3

Here is a shorter version of the critical summary:

This study aimed to measure the health literacy profile of incarcerated adults in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, using the validated, multi-dimensional Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). Data were collected from 471 participants across 14 metropolitan correctional centres as part of the 2021 Justice Health NSW Health Literacy Study.

Findings revealed that while participants demonstrated relative strength in their relationships with healthcare providers, significant challenges existed in navigating health systems and critically appraising health information. These difficulties were more pronounced among participants with lower educational attainment and First Nations participants, reflecting the compounding effect of social disadvantage on health literacy.

A key strength of the study is its use of the HLQ across multiple sites, enabling a nuanced, large-scale assessment not previously achieved in an Australian prison context. However, the cross-sectional design limits causal interpretation, and the exclusion of non-English speakers and those who had not engaged with health services introduces selection bias, likely underestimating the true extent of health literacy challenges in this population.

For nursing practice, these findings reinforce the need for clear communication strategies, teach-back methods, and culturally safe, trauma-informed care when working with incarcerated individuals. As frequent first-contact clinicians in custodial settings, nurses are well positioned to leverage trust-based therapeutic relationships to improve health engagement among this vulnerable group.

Gill, S., Zeki, R., Kaye, S., Musca, M., Wright, C. J. C., Wand, H., Kaldor, J., & Butler, T. (2023). Health literacy strengths and challenges of people in New South Wales prisons: a cross-sectional survey using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). BMC Public Health, 23, 1520. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16464-3

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Jones, B., Woolfenden, S., Pengilly, S., Breen, C., Cohn, R., Biviano, L., Johns, A., Worth, A., Lamb, R., Lingam, R., Silove, N., Marks, S., Tzioumi, D., & Zwi, K. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic: The impact on vulnerable children and young people in Australia. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 56(12), 1851-1855. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.15169

Jones et al. (2020) aimed to examine the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable children and young people (CYP) in Australia, and to outline practical actions for health professionals, governments, and researchers to mitigate those effects. Using a rapid review of peer-reviewed literature and governmental reports conducted in July 2020, the authors identified eight vulnerable groups: CYP with disabilities, mental health conditions, or chronic diseases; those facing financial hardship; children within the child protection system; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander CYP; those from migrant and refugee backgrounds; CYP in residential care; rural CYP; and those who are socially isolated. The key finding was that pandemic control measures - including lockdowns, school closures, and reduced access to health and community services - significantly amplified pre-existing inequities for these groups. The authors concluded that recovery planning must adopt a proportionate universalism approach, directing intensified resources toward those most at risk, and that the voices of CYP must be central to any pandemic response.

This article is a credible source for several reasons. It was published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, a peer-reviewed journal of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, meaning the content underwent independent expert scrutiny prior to publication. The authorship is drawn from Community Child Health at the Sydney Children's Hospital Network and the University of New South Wales - institutions with established clinical and research expertise in paediatric and child health. The article draws on a rapid review of multiple peer-reviewed databases (Medline and PubMed) as well as reputable institutional sources including the Lancet, UNICEF, and the CDC, lending evidential weight to its claims. While the article is classified as a viewpoint piece rather than a primary research study, it is authored by a multidisciplinary clinical team with direct practice experience, and it was published in 2020 - directly contemporaneous with the events it examines - ensuring high contextual relevance.

This article is directly applicable to evidence-based nursing practice, particularly for nurses working with children, families, and marginalised communities. It provides a clearly articulated, evidence-informed framework for identifying which groups of CYP are at heightened risk during public health crises and why, which enables nurses to conduct more targeted risk assessment in clinical and community settings. The practical recommendations in Table 1 - including lowering the threshold for face-to-face consultations, integrating allied health and caseworker teams, using culturally appropriate communication, and applying social prescribing for families with unmet social needs - are directly translatable into nursing care plans and inter-professional practice. The article also reinforces the nurse's role as advocate, highlighting the importance of identifying child protection concerns and ensuring that telehealth is not assumed to be universally accessible for all vulnerable families. For nurses practising in paediatric, community, or primary health settings, this source supports a trauma-informed, equity-focused approach that addresses the social determinants of health - a cornerstone of contemporary nursing standards in Australia.