Maternal health literacy among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Ghana: a cross-sectional study.

Authors

Felicia Dankwah, Julius Kwabena Karikari, Paul Okyere

Published in

Global epidemiology. Volume 12. Pages 100278. Epub Jul 15, 2026.

Abstract

Maternal health literacy (MHL) plays a critical role in ensuring positive maternal and neonatal health outcomes; however, limited evidence exists on the functional aspect of MHL among pregnant women in Ghana. This study assessed the level of functional MHL, associated demographic factors, and perceived barriers among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) at a university hospital in Ghana.
A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 235 pregnant women attending ANC from November 2024 to February 2025. Participants were selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire adapted from validated health literacy tools and analyzed using Stata/SE version 17.0. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Associations were assessed using chi-square and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, while logistic regression was used to identify associated factors.
The median age of participants was 29 years (IQR: 24-33), and 55.3% had tertiary education. Overall, 54.9% of the women demonstrated high MHL. Educational level, age, employment status, and parity were associated with MHL at the bivariate level; however, only education remained independently associated with MHL in the adjusted model. Women with primary [aOR = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.01-0.11] and secondary education [aOR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.14-0.54] were less likely to have high MHL compared to those with tertiary education. The most reported barriers were poor communication from healthcare providers (47.2%) and lack of resources (34%).
Nearly half of pregnant women demonstrated low functional MHL, with educational attainment identified as a factor associated with MHL. Strengthening health-literacy-responsive communication and integrating group antenatal care may enhance comprehension and informed decision-making.

PMID:
42502495
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 26 Jul 2026.

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