Strengthening Individual Health Literacy in Group-Based Educational Formats (SIGGS): Evidence-Informed Requirements Catalog

More than half of the Austrian population experiences difficulties independently finding, understanding, appraising, and applying relevant health information and services in everyday life. Group programs – such as health courses, patient education programs, or prevention workshops – are proven methods for supporting people in managing health-related topics. Although such programs are widespread and demonstrably effective, there is currently no practice-oriented and evidence-informed requirements catalog for strengthening individual health literacy in group-based educational formats. Such a catalog would assist professionals in planning and implementing effective educational formats, while providing organizations and funding bodies with a sound basis for quality assurance and funding decisions. The project follows the transdisciplinary model of evidence-based practice (https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0009.2009.00561.x) and systematically combines scientific literature analysis with practical expertise. Following the completed orientation phase for needs assessment in the DACH region (German-speaking countries), the research team conducts semi-structured expert interviews with six to nine experienced professionals from the fields of health promotion, prevention, and healthcare. Scientific evidence is identified through a systematic literature search, following the PCC framework (https://doi.org/10.11124/JBIES-20-00167). The integration of both sources of evidence is carried out using “Best Fit Framework Synthesis” (https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1462) and is based on the health literacy impact model (https://doi.org/10.48341/g3dd-7586) and the Donabedian Framework (structure-process-outcome; https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0009.2005.00397.x ). Application testing and consensus building are carried out through stakeholder workshops and a multi-stage Delphi process. The project is funded by the Lower Austrian Health and Social Fund (NÖGUS).