Exploring Women's Experiences in Accessing, Understanding, Appraising, and Applying Health Information During Pregnancy

Abstract

Introduction: This study explored pregnant women's experiences in accessing, understanding, evaluating, communicating, and using health information and services during pregnancy.Methods: Pregnant participants (aged 18-45 years) were recruited from an obstetrics and gynecology department of a large urban training hospital. Focus groups were facilitated by a moderator's guide developed from health literacy domains (access, understand, evaluate, and communicate and use), audio recorded, transcribed, and uploaded into ATLAS.ti. Constant comparative and thematic analysis were employed.Results: Participants (N = 17) were predominantly Hispanic (53%), married (67%), college educated (87%), employed (80%), insured (100%), and nulliparous (59%). Health care providers and online and digital sources were preferred sources of information. Participants' understanding was facilitated by plain language, pictures and other visuals, numbers and statistics, and tailored information. Participants evaluated information credibility by source (health care provider, advertisement, multiple sources) and personal circumstances (eg, health history, gestational age). In addition, these women used the information to communicate with health care providers, family, and partners and to change health-related behaviors.Discussion: Participants described rich, contextual health literacy experiences. Future interventions that maximize access to health care providers and online and digital sources, while ensuring materials are easy to understand, convenient, and patient centered, could facilitate informed decision making during this critical period. Future prenatal education and counseling interventions could be developed and evaluated using established health literacy principles to ensure that information is accessible, understandable, and actionable.

“Preterm birth risk, me?” Women risk perception about premature delivery

“…In addition to the easy understanding of information, patients in the present study also praised the way in which it was transmitted. The study results reinforce the need to invest in health education as a way to offer autonomy, empowerment and health literacy (11,12). Within the collective, the external social in uence on the individual's risk perception can be seen in the valuation of certain diseases.…”

“Preterm birth risk, me?” Women risk perception about premature delivery – a qualitative analysis

“…In addition to easy understanding of the information, patients in the present study also praised the way it was transmitted. The study results reinforce the need to invest in health education as a way to offer autonomy, empowerment and health literacy (14) (15). Within the collective, the external social in uence on the individual's risk perception can be perceived in the valuation or not of certain diseases.…”

Sexual Health Literacy, a Strategy for the Challenges of Sexual Life of Infertile Women: A Qualitative Study

“…In this regard, Svensson et al (2016) reported that embarrassment and taboos related to sexual health issues gave rise to knowledge gaps and misconceptions about sexual health [4]. A woman's ability to fulfill her informational needs depends on her access to various information sources and appreciating the related information [37]. In this study, to appreciate the obtained information, participants searched various sources and asked questions from the informants.…”

“…A woman’s ability to fulfill her informational needs depends on her access to various information sources and appreciating the related information [ 37 ]. In this study, to appreciate the obtained information, participants searched various sources and asked questions from the informants.…”