Health Literacy as a Potential Determinant of Healthcare Use Among Young Adults in German‐Speaking Countries With a Special Emphasis on Primary Care: A Scoping Review
Anna‐Sophia Beese, Valentin Leu, Oliver Senn, Saskia Maria De GaniABSTRACT
Background
In recent years, the increasing number of medical consultations among young adults in German‐speaking countries, particularly in general practice, has attracted growing attention from media and healthcare providers. The possible reasons remain speculative. However, the consequences for the system—higher workforce load and costs, among other things—are probable. Nevertheless, little scientific research has investigated the underlying causes of this trend. Initial hypotheses from the Swiss Medical Association suggest that limited health literacy, increasing uncertainty in managing personal health amid digital information overload, and a decline in mental health may be contributing factors. Thus, this study aimed to explore these hypotheses scientifically, focusing on the potential link between health literacy and healthcare utilisation among individuals aged 18–35 years.
Methods
This study undertakes a scoping review following the PRISMA‐ScR (PRISMA extension for scoping reviews) framework. The review examined studies addressing the increase in medical consultations among young adults in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and explored the proposed causes of this trend, and the role of health literacy in shaping health behaviours in this age group. The online databases PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science were used to identify studies published between January 2005 and July 2025, focusing on individuals aged 18–35 and conducted in Switzerland, Germany or Austria, preferable with a research focus on primary care.
Results
25 studies met the inclusion criteria. The analysis revealed a fragmented evidence base regarding the drivers of increased healthcare utilisation in this population. While topics such as mental health burdens, social media influence, healthcare system strain, and associations with health literacy are discussed, robust empirical data remains scarce.
Conclusions
The findings highlight key research gaps and the need for further studies to understand multifactorial causes of increased healthcare use among young adults. They provide a foundation for developing evidence‐based strategies to improve health literacy and support needs‐based healthcare utilisation.
Patient or Public Contribution
The review was conceptualised and conducted by an interdisciplinary research team and lived experience researchers in general internal medicine.