A scoping review: global health literacy interventions for pregnant women and mothers with young children

Abstract

Summary The World Health Organization is focused on enhancing health literacy (HL) throughout the life-course to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) globally. Pregnancy and early motherhood offer a window of opportunity to address NCDs risk earlier in the life-course. Empowering women through HL may help to reduce the intergenerational impact of NCDs. A scoping review of the international literature was conducted to identify HL interventions that focused on improving NCD-related health outcomes or health behaviors of pregnant women and/or mothers with young children. The search was conducted on 4 databases and identified 5019 articles. After full text screening, 25 studies met the inclusion criteria. No study acknowledged their intervention as an HL intervention, even though they were assessed as targeting various HL dimensions. Only one study measured the HL of mothers. The review suggests that HL interventions are being underutilized and highlight the need to create awareness about the importance of addressing HL of pregnant women and mothers using appropriate tools to understand HL strengths and challenges in achieving healthy lifestyle practices. This can help to co-design locally responsive solutions that may enable women to make informed healthier lifestyle choices for themselves and for their children and thus may accelerate prevention of NCDs globally.

Health literacy status of pregnant women and women with young children in Tasmania

“…This has implications for policymakers and health systems to ensure that the health needs of women are addressed, and support services are sustained beyond the pregnancy, so women receive extended support to engage in healthy lifestyle practices during pregnancy and beyond. 19 Participants without chronic health conditions demonstrated higher health literacy levels than those with chronic health conditions, with small to medium ES noted. This finding is supported by other research which has shown that people with chronic health conditions are more likely to have more health literacy challenges.…”

“…Thus, women may require extended support from health and social services to maintain their health and optimally care for their children. This has implications for policymakers and health systems to ensure that the health needs of women are addressed, and support services are sustained beyond the pregnancy, so women receive extended support to engage in healthy lifestyle practices during pregnancy and beyond 19 …”

“…Our recent scoping review 19 identified a need to create awareness about the importance of addressing the health literacy of pregnant women and women with young children. The study determined that existing interventions failed to consider and address the health literacy needs of women, therefore, were ineffective in engaging women in healthy lifestyle practices 19 . A systematic review by Nawabi et al 20 found significant heterogeneity in measurement tools used to understand the health literacy status of pregnant women.…”

Development of Mothers' Health Literacy: Findings From the KUNO-Kids Study

“…Although little is known about how to strengthen HL in the group of pregnant women or new parents, ( Melwani et al, 2022 ; Nawabi et al, 2021 ) previous research indicates how HL can be increased in the general adult population. Systematic reviews of interventions to strengthen HL skills showed an overall benefit of clear health communication strategies, self-management support, empowerment, and supportive and caring environments ( Hersh et al, 2015 ).…”

Determinants of Breastfeeding Practices Among Mothers Attending Maternal and Child Health Clinic at Pumwani Hospital Nairobi

“…In regions where formula feeding is predominant, health care providers may assist in initiating the conversation about infant feeding choice early in pregnancy in a non-threatening, non-judgmental manner (Lyons et al, 2021). Prenatal visits provide opportunities to share information to facilitate an informed decision, explore the mother's concerns and beliefs and to link with community-based support programs (Melwani et al, 2021). The convenience associated with formula feeding is a belief that was held by the women in the Canadian qualitative study by Pemo et al (2020).…”