Health literacy among pregnant women in the United Arab Emirates: The Mutaba'ah study.
Womens Health (Lond)
; 20: 17455057231224179, 2024.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38279806
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Health literacy is the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, understand, and communicate health-related information. Health literacy among pregnant women, in particular, may have a significant impact on maternal and child health. In the United Arab Emirates, no previous studies have been carried out to investigate the health literacy levels of pregnant women.OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to investigate antenatal health literacy levels and identify associated factors among pregnant Emirati women in the United Arab Emirates.DESIGN:
This analysis was based on the baseline cross-sectional data for pregnant women participating in the prospective cohort Mutaba'ah Study, recruited between May 2017 and August 2022.METHODS:
Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire during their antenatal visits that collected sociodemographic and pregnancy-related information. Adequacy of health literacy was assessed using the BRIEF health literacy screening tool with adequate health literacy defined as a score ⩾ 17. Regression modeling investigated the association between the pregnant women characteristics with having adequate health literacy level (ability to read and comprehend most patient education materials).RESULTS:
A total of 2694 responses to the BRIEF health literacy screening tool were analyzed. Approximately, three-quarters (71.6%) of respondents showed adequate health literacy, followed by marginal (22.8%), and limited (5.6%) health literacy levels, respectively. Higher education levels (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.74, 95% confidence interval = 1.46-2.08), employment (adjusted odds ratio = 1.35, 95% confidence interval = 1.10-1.65), and adequate social support (adjusted odds ratio = 1.69, 95% confidence interval = 1.26-2.28) were associated with adequate health literacy levels. Participants who expressed worry about birth were less likely to have adequate literacy levels (adjusted odds ratio = 0.70, 95% confidence interval = 0.58-0.85).CONCLUSION:
Nearly three-quarters of pregnant women have adequate health literacy. Nevertheless, measures including policies to sustain and enhance health literacy levels among all expectant mothers are required, with a specific focus on those having limited health literacy.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Gestantes
/
Letramento em Saúde
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Pregnancy
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Womens Health (Lond)
Assunto da revista:
SAUDE DA MULHER
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Emirados Árabes Unidos