Kirsten J Mccaffery

Biographic Data

ID2245502
NAMEKirsten J Mccaffery
GIVEN NAMESKirsten J
FAMILY NAMEMccaffery
SIGNATUREMCCAFFERY K J
AFFILIATIONSThe University of Sydney
ORCID0000-0003-2696-5006
VERIFIEDYes
TOTAL WORKS43
TOTAL CITATIONS22
AUTHOR COUNT43
EDITOR COUNT0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2004
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2026
H-INDEX2

  • A scoping review of measures to assess health professionals’ competencies related to health literacy

    Open AccessOlivia Mac, Sarah Marshall et al.ARTICLEHealth Promotion International2026

    Health professionals play an important role in addressing health literacy and ensuring that health systems and information are easy to understand, access, and navigate. We conducted a scoping review to identify and describe measures and tools that assess health professionals’ health literacy competency related to knowledge, skills, practices, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behavioural intentions. Electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PubMe…

  • Psychosocial Impact of Breast Density Notification Through Breast Cancer Screening

    Open AccessEmma Grundtvig Gram, Claire Hudson et al.ARTICLEHealth Expectations2026

    INTRODUCTION: Breast density notification is now implemented in the United States and parts of Australia and Canada despite limited understanding of how it impacts women and their psychosocial health. This study explored the psychosocial impact of receiving a notification of dense breasts through a population-based breast cancer screening programme. METHODS: We interviewed 19 Australian women who indicated being anxious in a survey. This survey w…

  • Safeguarding Quality in Health and Medical Science Information Today

    Open AccessScott C Ratzan, Rebecca K Ivic et al.ARTICLEHealth Communication2026

  • Strengthening health literacy research through consumer engagement

    Open AccessJulie Ayre, Eliza Ferguson et al.ARTICLEHealth Promotion International2025

    Consumer engagement activities are variably implemented across research settings, and the ‘science’ of consumer engagement is still in its infancy. This study aimed to explore the experiences of community panel members who supported a university-based health literacy research group that delivers experimental and applied health research across a wide variety of health topics. An independent researcher interviewed participants, asking them to refle…

  • Perspectives of people with chronic illness about plain language summaries

    Open AccessKaren Maree Gainey, Kirsten J Mccaffery et al.ARTICLEHealth Promotion International2025

    People with chronic health conditions tend to look for information from a range of sources. Although information online is accessible, the quality varies and articles in scientific journals are not written for a general audience. Given this, plain language summaries (PLSs) may be a useful source of information, especially for people with chronic medical conditions. PLSs contain reliable information that is written in plain, easy-to-understand lan…

  • Co‐Designing a Framework for Social Media Health Communication to Young People

    Open AccessMelody Taba, Julie Ayre et al.ARTICLEHealth Expectations2025

    BACKGROUND: Social media became a key communication channel for public health agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for reaching younger populations less engaged with traditional channels. However, official social media health communication often fails to appeal to young people. Improving public health agency use of social media for health communication is vital to ensure health messages reach this priority population effectively, esp…

  • Enhancing digital health literacy in adolescents

    Open AccessAnnabelle Hawkins, Melody Taba et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2025

    Use of the co-designed educational resource misAdventures improved adolescents' digital health literacy and self-efficacy. Adolescents acknowledged they learnt through using the app and believed it would change the way they used online health information. A brief, self-directed digital educational resource can improve adolescents' ability and disposition to identify trustworthy health information online and on social media

  • Asking The Right Questions

    Open AccessSumathy Ravi, Gideon Meyerowitz‐Katz et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2025

    Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) continues to be the leading burden of disease globally. With the growing population of people with diabetes, it is essential to deliver integrated care that is value-based and patient-centred, as well as high-value to providers and the healthcare system. Community-facing digital interventions have transformed the care delivered to these patients. However, few have been co-designed to specifically address patient …

  • Trust in the healthcare system declines after exposure to information about the harms and benefits of breast cancer screening

    Open AccessTamar Parmet, Grant Yoder et al.ARTICLEJournal of Health Psychology2025References: 19

    Conflicting health messages negatively impact trust. Breast cancer screening (BCS) is one area of healthcare where conflicting messages are common. We examined whether women's healthcare system trust was impacted after exposure to information about harms and benefits of BCS. We enrolled 497 women into this study. Participants were administered a decision aid (DA) containing information about the harms and benefits of BCS and reported their health…

  • A Decision Aid for Patients Considering Surgery for Sciatica

    Open AccessJulie Ayre, Richie Kumarage et al.ARTICLEHealth Expectations2024

    BACKGROUND: Surgery can help patients with leg pain caused by sciatica recover faster, but by 12 months outcomes are similar to nonsurgical management. For many the decision to have surgery may require reflection, and patient decision aids are an evidence-based clinical tool that can help guide patients through this decision. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop and refine a decision aid for patients with sciatica who are deciding whet…

  • Effect of Virtual Care on Diabetes management

    Open AccessSumathy Ravi, Gideon Meyerowitz‐Katz et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2024

    Introduction: Diabetes is an increasingly prevalent and costly chronic disease worldwide and a large cause of unnecessary disease burden. As a growing health issue, diabetes needs a focus on better management by community providers, rather than relying on an overstretched hospital-based specialist service. Conventional outpatient care is increasingly insufficient to manage diabetes. The rapid uptake of telehealth and other forms of virtual care d…

  • Qualitative and Quantitative Evaluation of an Innovative Primary and Secondary Diabetes Clinic in Western Sydney

    Open AccessSumathy Ravi, Gideon Meyerowitz‐Katz et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2024References: 2

    The findings suggest this integrated care model was feasible and perceived as beneficial by both patients and providers. The clinic offers a promising model of practice that could be developed further to roll out in other regions for rural delivery of care

  • Covid-19 messages targeting young people on social media

    Open AccessMelody Taba, Julie Ayre et al.ARTICLEHealth Promotion International2023

    Health authorities utilized social media during the COVID-19 pandemic to disseminate critical and timely health messages, specifically targeting priority groups such as young people. To understand how social media was used for this purpose, we investigated the content of COVID-19-related social media posts targeting young people (16–29 years old) shared by Australian health departments. Posts targeting young people with COVID-19 information were …

  • Early Covid-19 Attitudes and Behaviors and Their Associations With Later Infection

    Sophia W Light, Lauren Opsasnick et al.ARTICLEMedical Care2023References: 17

    BACKGROUND: At the onset of the pandemic, there was poor public awareness and inaction in response to COVID-19; it is less known whether this translated to subsequent infections. OBJECTIVES: To explore whether adults who perceived COVID-19 as less of a threat and who were not taking early actions were more likely to become infected over the following year. RESEARCH DESIGN: Survey data from the ongoing (COVID-19 & Chronic Conditions (C3) anonymize…

  • Type 2 diabetes self-management schemas across diverse health literacy levels

    Julie Ayre, Carissa Bonner et al.ARTICLEPsychology & Health2022

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore how people with diabetes and diverse health literacy levels conceptualise their experience and efforts to engage in self-management behaviours (their self-management 'schemas'). DESIGN: A qualitative design was applied. METHODS: Twenty-six people in Sydney, Australia, took part in semi-structured interviews, which were audio-recorded and coded using Framework analysis. RESULTS: Half the participants…

  • Covid-19 Testing and Vaccine Willingness

    Open AccessJulie Ayre, Danielle M Muscat et al.ARTICLEHealth Equity2022

    Objective: The current study examined patterns in COVID-19 testing and vaccination intentions across multiple language groups in Greater Western Sydney, Australia. Methods: Participants completed a cross-sectional survey available from March 21 to July 9, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Surveys were available in English or translated (11 languages). Participants could complete surveys independently or with support from bilingual staff. Logistic regres…

  • Demographics, health literacy and health locus of control beliefs of Australian women who take complementary medicine products during pregnancy and breastfeeding

    Open AccessLeonard Barnes, Margaret Rolfe et al.ARTICLEHealth Expectations2022

    BACKGROUND: Pregnant and breastfeeding women's use of complementary medicine products (CMPs) is common, and possibly associated with autonomous health care behaviours. However, the health literacy levels and health locus of control (HLOC) beliefs of women who use CMPs in pregnancy and lactation have not been previously assessed in a large Australian sample. AIM: The aim of this study is to determine the health literacy levels and HLOC beliefs of …

  • Covid-19 Vaccine Misperceptions in a Community Sample of Adults Aged 18–49 Years in Australia

    Open AccessKristen Pickles, Tessa Copp et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2022

    Central to a successful population vaccination program is high uptake of vaccines. However, COVID-19 vaccine uptake may be impeded by beliefs based on misinformation. We sought to understand the prevalence and nature of misbeliefs about COVID-19 vaccines, and identify associated factors, shortly after commencement of Australia's national vaccine rollout. A cross-sectional survey was administered to unvaccinated young adults (n = 2050) in Australi…

  • Australian General Practitioners’ Current Knowledge, Understanding, and Feelings Regarding Breast Density Information and Notification

    Open AccessHankiz Dolan, Kirsten J Mccaffery et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2022

    There is strong support for notifying patients of breast density, and interest in further education and training among the surveyed GPs. As GPs play a central role in cancer prevention and control, their involvement in discussions related to breast density notification, evaluation and appraisal of evidence, development of communication strategies, and participation in ongoing research on the topic will be indispensable

  • Adolescents’ self-efficacy and digital health literacy

    Open AccessMelody Taba, Tiffany B Allen et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2022

    Whilst adolescents possess many important digital health literacy skills and generally feel self-efficacious in using them, their critical health literacy needs improving. Adolescents desire increased digital health literacy so they can confidently appraise health information they find online and on social media. Co-designed educational interventions with adolescents and health providers are required

  • Psychological Wellbeing and Academic Experience of University Students in Australia during Covid-19

    Open AccessRachael H Dodd, Kevin Dadaczynski et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2021

    COVID-19 has created significant challenges for higher education institutions and major disruptions in teaching and learning. To explore the psychological wellbeing of domestic and international university students during the COVID-19 pandemic, an online cross-sectional survey recruited 787 university students (18+ years) currently studying at an Australian university. In total, 86.8% reported that COVID-19 had significantly impacted their studie…

  • Impact of diagnostic labels and causal explanations for weight gain on diet intentions, cognitions and emotions

    Open AccessJenna Smith, Julie Ayre et al.ARTICLEAppetite2021References: 48

  • Health literacy and disparities in Covid-19–related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours in Australia

    Open AccessKirsten J Mccaffery, Kirsten Mccaffery et al.ARTICLEPublic Health Research & Practice2020

    OBJECTIVES: To explore the variation in understanding of, attitudes towards, and uptake of, health advice on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the 2020 pandemic stage 3 restrictions ('lockdown') by health literacy in the Australian population. STUDY DESIGN: National cross-sectional community survey. SETTING: Australian general public. PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged over 18 years (N = 4362). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Knowledge, attitudes and beha…

  • Women’s health literacy and the complex decision‐making process to use complementary medicine products in pregnancy and lactation

    Open AccessLeonard Barnes, Lesley Barclay et al.ARTICLEHealth Expectations2019

    BACKGROUND: Little is known about women's decision-making processes regarding using complementary medicine products (CMPs) during pregnancy or lactation. OBJECTIVES: To explore the decision-making processes of women choosing to use CMPs in pregnancy and lactation; and to investigate how women's health literacy influences their decisions. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were held with twenty-five p…

  • Improving health literacy through adult basic education in Australia

    Open AccessSuzanne Morony, Emma Lamph et al.ARTICLEHealth Promotion International2018

    Adults with low literacy are less empowered to take care of their health, have poorer health outcomes and higher healthcare costs. We facilitated partnerships between adult literacy teachers and community health providers to deliver a health literacy training program in adult basic education classrooms. Following course completion we interviewed 19 adult education teachers (15 delivering the health literacy program; 4 delivering standard literacy…