Effect of Health Literacy Education on Self-Care in Pregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.
Mahnaz Solhi, Khadijeh Abbasi, Farbod Ebadi Fard Azar and 1 others
PMID 30643828WHAT IT FOUND
In 80 pregnant women, routine education plus four sessions of lectures, group discussion, question and answer, counseling, practical exercises, and educational materials such as booklets and films raised total self-care from 62.90 to 78 on a 21-84 scale at two months.
Key findings
01Total self-care scores in the intervention group rose from 62.90 before to 78 at two months on a 21 to 84 scale.
02At one and two months, the intervention group had significantly higher physical, mental, and total self-care scores than controls (P<0.001).
03Total health literacy scores in the intervention group rose from 30.92 before to 40 at one month and 40.57 at two months.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The trial was small and done in two health centers in one Iranian city, so results may not apply to other settings. Women were assigned by center, not person by person, so differences between centers could have affected the results. Participants knew which group they were in and reported their own behaviour, so expectations could have influenced scores. The self-care and health literacy questionnaires were developed by the study team rather than widely used tools. The intervention combined routine education, lectures, group discussion, question and answer, counseling, practical exercises, and educational materials, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. Follow-up was only one and two months, and the study did not measure birth or maternal complication outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this education reduces maternal or infant complications. The trial measured self-reported self-care and health literacy scores only, not pregnancy or birth outcomes. Do not credit any single component, because the intervention included routine education, lectures, group discussion, question and answer, counseling, practical exercises, and educational materials such as booklets and films.