E-health literacy, online information seeking, and maternal health literacy among pregnant women: a cross-sectional study

Digital health information seeking has become an integral component of antenatal care, raising public health concerns regarding women’s ability to access, understand, and critically evaluate online health information. This study examined the associations of e-health literacy and pregnancy-related online information seeking with maternal health literacy and its dimensions among pregnant women. This cross-sectional study included 412 pregnant women attending the Obstetrics and Gynecology Outpatient Clinic of Samsun Training and Research Hospital. Data were collected using a demographic information form, the E-Health Literacy Scale, and the Turkish Maternal Health Literacy Inventory in Pregnancy (MHELIP-TR). The mean e-health literacy score was 29.15 ( SD = 7.15). The mean MHELIP-TR score was 65.70 ( SD = 17.67), falling within the problematic range. In the regression models using, e-health literacy was positively associated with maternal health knowledge ( B = 0.934, 95% CI [0.637, 1.230], p < .001), information search ( B = 0.212, 95% CI [0.133, 0.291], p < .001), information assessment ( B = 0.272, 95% CI [0.187, 0.358], p < .001), decision making and behavior ( B = 0.701, 95% CI [0.487, 0.915], p < .001), and overall maternal health literacy ( B = 2.119, 95% CI [1.490, 2.747], p < .001). Reported engagement in pregnancy-related online information seeking was significantly associated only with maternal health information assessment ( B = 1.547, 95% CI [0.121, 2.973], p = .034). E-health literacy was consistently associated with maternal health literacy, whereas online information seeking alone demonstrated limited independent associations. Antenatal education programs should strengthen digital competencies, source-verification skills, and critical appraisal of online health information. Longitudinal and multicenter studies are needed to clarify the direction of these associations.