Association Between Maternal Health Literacy Level and Prenatal Care in Iran

Maternal health literacy includes cognitive and social skills, providing the motivation and ability for pregnant women to access, understand, and use the health information. Given the effect of maternal health literacy on health of mothers and their children, recognizing the maternal health literacy level in pregnant women is essential. Thus, the present study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between maternal health literacy and prenatal care and its outcomes among the women who have recently given birth and admitted to Yazd health centers in 2017. This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 390 women. They were selected using multistage cluster sampling method. The data collection tools were maternal health literacy level and pregnancy outcome questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 21). The significant level was considered 0.05. The mean score of health literacy score was 54.67 ± 9.85 and the mean score of pregnancy outcomes was 47.41 ± 6.2 and Pearson correlation test showed a significant correlation between health literacy and pregnancy outcomes (R=0.633, p<0.0001). Maternal health literacy was also associated with cares such as proper weight gain during pregnancy and the use of some supplements (folic acid and multivitamin), but it did not show any significant association with the nutritional status of the neonate and birth weight. As a significant relationship was found between maternal health literacy and pregnancy outcome, the mothers should be encouraged for pregnancy cares by providing proper health and up-to-date information and materials required by pregnant mothers in healthcare centers. Paper Type: Research Article