ArticleBMC health services research2026
Mapping the extent and nature of research examining health literacy and ethnic inequalities in maternity care: a scoping review.
Article in BMC health services research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGlobally, women from ethnic minority groups experience stark disparities in maternity care outcomes. While ethnic inequalities are complex, health literacy is a contributing factor. This scoping review aimed to map the extent and nature of research examining health literacy and ethnic inequalities in maternity care. The review sought to identify evidence gaps and inform the direction of future research in this area.
methodsThis scoping review followed methodological guidance published by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). A comprehensive search across 5 key databases and relevant grey literature identified 1,024 citations. Papers were reviewed against criteria for inclusion. Key study features were collated in a standardised data extraction form. Thematic analysis summarised key findings across the studies.
resultsThe review included 14 papers that directly explored health literacy and ethnic inequalities in maternity care. The research had a wide geographical distribution and included quantitative (n = 7), qualitative (n = 4) and mixed methods research designs (n = 3). Data were collected using a range of health literacy assessment tools. The focus of the research varied across the scope of maternity care, including pregnancy (n = 7), the postnatal period (n = 2) and the whole maternity continuum (n = 5). Thematic analysis summarised four key findings: (i) Diverse definitions of health literacy; (ii) Health literacy challenges can disproportionately affect minority ethnic women; (iii) Poor health literacy can contribute to adverse outcomes and ethnic inequalities and (iv) Limited evaluation of health literacy interventions.
conclusionsHealth literacy is an important but understudied contributor to ethnic inequalities in maternity care. There is a need for high-quality in-depth research to explore health literacy and ethnic inequalities in maternity care. This will support the development of targeted, equity focused interventions. Optimisation of health literacy may serve to reduce persistent inequalities experienced by minority ethnic groups in maternity care outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.