Data-driven maternal health literacy promotion and a postscript on its implications

Smith, Sarah M.; Carroll, Lauren N.

doi:10.3233/isu-170832

Cited by 14 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Low health literacy in adolescents is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes including health-compromising behaviours, poor health status and overweight/obesity [6][7][8]. Adolescent health literacy is an important and modifiable determinant of health; promoting health literacy at an early age is a key intervention strategy to reduce disease burden and health disparities [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescent Health Literacy in Beijing and Melbourne: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Guo

Davis

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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While adolescent health literacy has gained momentum, it is under-researched from a cross-cultural perspective. This study aims to compare health literacy among two cultural groups of secondary students in Beijing and Melbourne. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 770 students from five secondary schools in Beijing and Melbourne. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to collect information on health literacy (the eight-item health literacy assessment tool (HLAT-8), the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) and the 47-item Health Literacy Survey (HLS-47)), its antecedents and health outcomes. Overall, students’ health literacy in Melbourne (n = 120) was higher than that in Beijing (n = 650): 28.25 ± 6.00 versus 26.37 ± 5.89 (HLAT-8); and 4.13 ± 1.73 versus 3.65 ± 1.64 (NVS). The proportion of students with low health literacy varied by instruments, representing 23.7–32.2% in Melbourne and 29.0%–45.5% in Beijing. In both cultural groups, students’ self-efficacy, social support, and perceptions of school environment were associated with their health literacy, which in turn predicted their health behaviours, patient-provider communication and health status. Given the nature of our study design and small samples, a cautious conclusion would be that adolescent health literacy is sensitive to the broad cultural context and might be an interactive outcome influenced by an individual’s health skills and the social environment. Particularly, creating a supportive school environment is critical to develop adolescent health literacy that would eventually contribute to better health outcomes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescent Health Literacy in Beijing and Melbourne: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Guo

Davis

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…33 Mothers play an important role in younger adolescents' development, especially among daughters; 34 as a result, maternal health literacy can empower women to address factors that affect outcomes for both mothers and children. [35][36][37] Although the MHL is considered an important determinant of mental health and has the potential to benefit both the individual and the public, 15,16 its use in evidencebased practices and health promotion interventions has been limited. 38 O'Connor et al 39 conducted an extensive literature review and reported that most of the related investigations had not adequately addressed the psychometric properties of the measuring instruments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

<p>Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Mental Health Literacy Scale</p>

Heizomi¹,

Kouzekanani²,

Jafarabadi³

et al. 2020

IJWH

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Background: Due to the lack of an instrument to measure mental health literacy among Persian/Farsi speaking people, this study was conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Mental Health Literacy Scale (P-MHLS). Participants and Methods: The 2019 cross-sectional study with 992 participants was conducted in Tabriz, Iran. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to establish the construct validity of the P-MHLS. The internal consistency/reliability was estimated by computing Cronbach's coefficient alpha. Feasibility of the scale was examined and item response theory (IRT) models were applied to characterize the test items. Results: An exploratory factor analysis of data resulted in five factors, which included 30 of the 35 items and accounted for 42.00% of the variance. The construct validity of the 5-factor model was supported by the results of our confirmatory factor analysis. The factors were the 1) ability to recognize mental disorders, 2) confidentiality of mental health practitioners, 3) skills of mental health information seeking, 4) beliefs about mental illnesses, and 5) attitudes toward patients with mental illness. Conclusion: The study provides initial support for the use of the MHLS among Persian/ Farsi speaking adults to assess mental health literacy.

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“…Health literacy comprises factors that determine the motivation and ability of people to gain access to, understand, communicate about, and use information in ways that promote and maintain good health (Berkman, Davis, & McCormack, 2010; Nutbeam, 1998). Health literacy research has largely focused on quantitative measures of health literacy in the context of disease treatment and health care (Smith & Carroll, 2017), often focusing on functional health literacy skills such as reading and numerical comprehension (Baker, Williams, Parker, Gazmararian, & Nurss, 1999; Chew, Bradley, & Boyko, 2004; Davis et al, 1991; Parker, Baker, Williams, & Nurss, 1995). This individual function-focused approach does not fully reflect the way that people experience health care, manage health conditions, and make decisions about their health, as it obscures social and cultural context (de Wit et al, 2017).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Maternal health literacy broadens the definition of health literacy from promoting and maintaining good health in the individual to promoting and maintaining good health of both the mother and child (Renkert & Nutbeam, 2001). It is associated with children's nutritional (Johri et al, 2016) and vaccination status (Johri et al, 2015) and it has been posited that significant, rapid improvement in maternal health literacy is achievable with appropriate and targeted interventions (Mobley et al, 2014; Smith & Carroll, 2017), even when reading and other functional skills are weak (Smith & Carroll, 2017). Improved maternal health literacy can empower women to address factors that affect outcomes for both mothers and children (Lu & Halfon, 2003; Mobley et al, 2014; Smith & Carroll, 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Distributed Health Literacy in the Maternal Health Context in Vietnam

McKinn¹,

Linh²,

Foster³

et al. 2019

HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice

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Background: Previous health literacy research has often focused on individual functional health literacy, ignoring the cultural contexts through which many people experience health care. Objective: We aimed to explore the nature of maternal health literacy among ethnic minority women in a low-resource setting in Vietnam. Methods: Using a qualitative approach, we conducted focus groups with 42 pregnant women, mothers, and grandmothers of children younger than age 5 years from the Thai and Hmong ethnic groups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants and thematic analysis was performed. Key Results: The findings of our thematic analysis aligned well with the concept of distributed health literacy. We found that ethnic minority women drew upon family and social networks of health literacy mediators to share knowledge and understanding, assess and evaluate information, communicate with health professionals, and support decision-making. Family members were also involved in making health decisions that had the potential to negatively affect women and children's health. Conclusions: Family members are an important source of information for ethnic minority women, and they influence decision-making. Relatives and husbands of pregnant women could be included in maternal health education programs to potentially strengthen the health literacy of the whole community. The distributed health literacy concept can be used to strengthen health promotion messages and to reduce the risk of negative health outcomes. [ HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice . 2019;3(1):e31–e42.] Plain Language Summary: Distributed health literacy refers to how health literacy skills and practices are distributed through social networks. This concept applies well to the maternal health context in Vietnam. Older women are trusted sources of information, and family influences decision-making during pregnancy. Women's limited autonomy increases the importance of family involvement. Distributed health literacy could be used to strengthen health promotion messages.

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Data-driven maternal health literacy promotion and a postscript on its implications

Cited by 14 publications

References 26 publications

Adolescent Health Literacy in Beijing and Melbourne: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Adolescent Health Literacy in Beijing and Melbourne: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

<p>Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Mental Health Literacy Scale</p>

Distributed Health Literacy in the Maternal Health Context in Vietnam

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