Understanding How Latino Populations Use Social Media to Improve Health Literacy: A Qualitative Study

Healthy People 2030 has identified a knowledge gap in its objective to increase the health literacy of the population. Health literacy is a critical component for achieving optimal health outcomes; however, Latinos have the lowest health literacy rate among all ethnicities within the United States and have one of the poorest health outcomes per capita. This qualitative research project assesses how Latinos use social media to improve personal health literacy and improve their health outcomes. This study utilizes focus groups and in-depth interviews to understand what barriers affect the Latino populations ability to use social media to improve health literacy.