Health literacy and its associated factors among pregnant women in Mansoura, Egypt; A cross-sectional study

Background: Women’s health literacy (HL) is an essential skill that has a role in the prevention and promotion of public health. Objective: This study aimed at measuring the health literacy level (HLL) of pregnant females and identifying its related risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study with an analytic component was conducted involving pregnant females who attended antenatal care (ANC) clinics in the Mansoura district, Egypt. The study was conducted in five ANC clinics and data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The HLL was assessed using the Arabic version of the Swedish Functional Health Literacy Scale (S-FHL scale). Results: A total of 336 pregnant females were included. The mean age was 27.6±5.3 years. The majority were housewives (77.7%), had secondary education or less (74.7%), and were free of chronic disease (86.3%). Almost half of them (51.8%) had satisfactory family income. Limited health literacy (LHL) was shown in 73.5 % of pregnant females (24.7 % insufficient and 48.8% problematic health literacy). The independent predictors of LHL in pregnant women were unsatisfactory income (OR = 19.6), secondary educational level or less (OR = 7.6), young age (OR =4.4), being free from chronic disease (OR =7.7) and having unplanned pregnancies (OR = 3.5). Conclusions: The HLL of the studied participants was unsatisfactory. ANC programs needs to reinforce the efforts required to improve the HLL. Interventions that can be used include clear communication with the mother, visual teaching aids, understandable and illustrated media, and creating an enabling environment for questioning and decision-making