Abstract
BackgroundAppropriate health information seeking behavior can play an effective role in self-care and promotion of women’s quality of life during pregnancy. However, different barriers can impede pregnant women while accessing health information. The aim of this research was to explain challenges to access health information during pregnancy.MethodsThe present qualitative study was carried out on 28 participants who were selected using the purposeful sampling technique. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, field notes, and daily notes; data were analyzed using conventional content analysis.ResultsThe main barriers to access health information during pregnancy were as follows: many duties of women at home as well as out-of-home education and employment, inability to make distinction between correct and incorrect information, insufficient interactions between women and healthcare providers, failure to access to various information resources, common complaints of pregnancy, and stress and anxiety of confronting the problems during pregnancy.ConclusionBased on the results, pregnant women experienced personal, social, and structural barriers when accessing health information. Therefore, policymakers and health planners should remove the barriers, encourage self-care, and enhance the quality of life for pregnant women, thus, promoting their health status in the end.
Highlights
Appropriate health information seeking behavior can play an effective role in self-care and promotion of women’s quality of life during pregnancy
Plain English summary Pregnant women need health information to increase their empowerment while practicing preventive health behaviors and boosting self-care capabilities
Insufficient interactions between pregnant women and healthcare providers As noted by the participating pregnant women, they trusted the information provided by obstetricians and midwives and considered them as a reliable source for their information needs
Summary
Appropriate health information seeking behavior can play an effective role in self-care and promotion of women’s quality of life during pregnancy. A review of related literatures on information needs and health information seeking behavior (HISB) revealed more attention to a specific user groups in recent years [1]. One of these groups that are of great importance in terms of their information seeking includes women. Merrell et al showed that exploring HISB of pregnant women is the first step in understanding the health literacy in this significant population [5]. In this regard, researchers believed that healthcare providers should allocate efficient amount of time for discussing information-seeking methods with pregnant women [6]
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