Abstract
Objective: To investigate the overall score and the variables associated with health literacy of pregnant women benefited from a conditional cash transfer programme. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with pregnant women benefited from a Brazilian conditional cash transfer programme. We used a validated short health literacy survey developed for research on public health and health promotion. The level of health literacy (high or low) was considered a determining variable. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis was applied to the data collected. Results: Only the two following variables were associated with health literacy: participation in health education activities and the choice of mothers to seek advice regarding pregnancy. Functional health literacy was higher when pregnant women participated in health education activities. Critical health literacy was higher when pregnant women sought advice from their mothers, friends, and other family members. Conclusion: Health education and a social network of pregnant women should be part of prenatal care.
Highlights
Health literacy (HL) is a multifaceted concept that may be understood as knowledge, motivation, and competence to access, understand, evaluate, and apply the health information received in health care
This study aimed to investigate contextual variables associated with the overall score and structural factors of HL in pregnant women benefited from a conditional cash transfer programme
Our study on HL among low-income pregnant women benefited from a cash transfer programme of the Brazilian government shows lower HL than other studies using the same instrument
Summary
Health literacy (HL) is a multifaceted concept that may be understood as knowledge, motivation, and competence to access, understand, evaluate, and apply the health information received in health care. This process requires individual and collective decisions to improve quality of life. Conditional cash transfer programmes and the development of quality prenatal care are other social platforms that may improve prenatal outcomes (Triyana & Shankar, 2017). Conditional cash transfer programmes have been linked to improved obstetric and perinatal outcomes in many countries
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