ArticleAfrican journal of primary health care & family medicine2026
Maternal health literacy and its associated factors among pregnant women in Western Cape antenatal clinics.
Article in African journal of primary health care & family medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundMaternal health literacy influences how pregnant women access, understand and use healthcare services for themselves and their children. Limited maternal health literacy is associated with poor maternal and foetal outcomes.
aimTo assess maternal health literacy and its associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in the Western Cape.
settingThe study was conducted in antenatal clinics of the Western Cape.
methodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 248 pregnant women using the Maternal Health Literacy Inventory in Pregnancy (MHELIP), together with measures of socio-demographics, depression and functional health literacy (reading and understanding). Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 29. Descriptive statistics summarised participant characteristics and maternal health literacy domains, while non-parametric tests and logistic regression identified predictors of maternal health literacy.
resultsParticipants had a mean age of 27.4 years (± 7.53; range: 18-45), and 60.5% (n = 150) reported more than two pregnancies. Most respondents (80.0%, n = 196) had limited maternal health literacy, with a mean MHELIP score of 57.8 out of 100 (standard deviation [s.d.]: 10.8; range: 21-87). Adequate maternal health literacy was significantly associated with higher reading, understanding, and decision-making scores, while women with no risk of depression scored higher in assessing maternal health information (p 0.05). Reading and understanding significantly predicted maternal health literacy (odds ratio [OR]: 1.20), explaining 10.0% of the variance.
conclusionMost pregnant women had limited maternal health literacy, underscoring the need for tailored antenatal education.Contribution: The findings inform the development of maternal health literacy programmes to support informed decision-making among pregnant women in South Africa.
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