P5 - Expectant and new fathers’ health literacy and engagement in maternity and early infant health services

Abstract

Fathers’ participation in antenatal and postnatal (perinatal) health services is widely recommended, yet rarely achieved at desired levels. One barrier may be health services’ poor understanding of fathers’ health literacy. This study aimed to investigate (a) health literacy strengths and barriers, and (b) associations between health literacy and health service engagement, among expectant and new fathers, to inform the development of more father-inclusive health services. Cross-sectional study. Expectant and new fathers (infants born since 2020) were recruited in August 2021 through Prolific, an international paid online survey platform. The survey included the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) which encompasses nine conceptually distinct dimensions of health literacy, and questions about fathers’ engagement with perinatal health visits. Surveys were completed by 889 men (46.8% with pregnant partners, 53.2% with infants up to 18mnths). Respondents resided in the USA (30.9%), UK (27%), South Africa (17.5%) and other countries (24.7%). Highest HLQ scores among respondents were in Scale 9: ‘Understanding health information enough to know what to do’ (Mean 4.13, scale range 1-5) and Scale 8 ‘Ability to find good health information’ (Mean 4.05, scale range 1-5). Lowest HLQ scores were seen for Scale 3 ‘Actively managing my health’ (Mean 2.94, scale range 1-4), and Scale 1: ‘Feeling understood and supported by health care providers’ (Mean 2.96, scale range 1-4). Most fathers (81.8%) attended at least half of health visits with their partners/infants; regular attendance was associated (p<0.01) with higher scores on seven HLQ subscales. Expectant and new fathers report good basic, functional health literacy skills but face barriers to engaging actively in their healthcare. Health services should consider ways to improve their support for fathers. These data can inform tailored health information and engagement strategies for fathers, with potential long-term benefits for fathers, partners and infants.