Digital interventions for parental health literacy in child outcomes: a systematic review

Background

Parental health literacy influences child health outcomes, including behaviors and treatment adherence. Digital interventions are potentially scalable strategies, but their effectiveness varies. This study assessed whether such interventions improve child health outcomes and explored features associated with effectiveness under the framework of digital determinants of health (DDH).

Methods

A systematic review of randomized controlled trials was conducted (PROSPERO CRD42023475969; PRISMA). Studies included digital interventions targeting parents of children aged 0–10 years, measuring specific child health outcomes. Searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and gray literature. Two reviewers independently selected studies and assessed quality (JBI). Interventions were analyzed using DDH.

Results

From 3,154 records and >10,000 gray literature entries, 16 studies were included. Outcomes included obesity, nutrition, sleep, breastfeeding, oral health, and HIV-related indicators. Most interventions used mobile or web-based platforms. All were interactive; 14 included personalization. Most studies reported positive effects, especially in nutrition, physical activity, and sleep. Human support improved outcomes in some cases. However, digital accessibility, digital literacy, and digital affordability were rarely addressed. Risk of bias was mainly related to lack of blinding.

Conclusions

Digital interventions targeting parental health literacy show potential to improve child health outcomes. Interactivity and personalization appear to be important components associated with effectiveness. However, limited consideration of other DDH may influence equity and implementation. Further research is needed to better understand these factors and inform the design of more inclusive digital health interventions.

Key messages

• Digital interventions improve child health outcomes by enhancing parental health literacy.

• Digital determinants of health shape effectiveness, with interactivity and personalization more frequently present than other dimensions.