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However, public health communication globally has inadequately met the needs of low literacy and culturally and linguistically diverse groups. This review examines the role of health literacy and how it is related to Covid-19 related outcomes, as well as how public health communication has routinely failed to follow basic health literacy principles. Lessons from the pandemic about health communication and recommendations for how health literacy needs can be addressed in the future are discussed. Improving public health communication requires an immediate short-term response and longer-term investment to build the health literacy responsiveness of public health units, health organisations, and government departments to meet health literacy population needs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3233\/isu-230185","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,13]],"date-time":"2023-06-13T10:14:47Z","timestamp":1686651287000},"page":"101-113","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Disparities in public understanding, attitudes, and intentions during the Covid-19 pandemic: The role of health literacy"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"43","author":[{"given":"Kirsten J.","family":"McCaffery","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney Health Literacy Lab,  New South Wales, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Julie","family":"Ayre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney Health Literacy Lab,  New South Wales, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rachael","family":"Dodd","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney Health Literacy Lab,  New South Wales, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kristen","family":"Pickles","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney Health Literacy Lab,  New South Wales, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tessa","family":"Copp","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney Health Literacy Lab,  New South Wales, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Danielle M.","family":"Muscat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney Health Literacy Lab,  New South Wales, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Brooke","family":"Nickel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney Health Literacy Lab,  New South Wales, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Erin","family":"Cvejic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney Health Literacy Lab,  New South Wales, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney Health Literacy Lab,  New South Wales, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Olivia","family":"Mac","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney Health Literacy Lab,  New South Wales, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jennifer","family":"Isautier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney Health Literacy Lab,  New South Wales, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Samuel","family":"Cornell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney Health Literacy Lab,  New South Wales, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michael S.","family":"Wolf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Applied Health Research on Aging (CAHRA) General Internal Medicine & Geriatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 750 N. 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