DEVELOPING HEALTH INFORMATION LITERACY FRAMEWORK FOR PREGNANT WOMEN, IN THE CASE OF PUBLIC HOSPITALS IN EASTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This research aimed to develop a Health Information Literacy (HIL) framework specifically tailored for pregnant women in Eastern Ethiopia. Pregnant women require HIL to make informed decisions about their health, identify their information needs, access reliable sources of health information, and overcome barriers to information access. The study employed mixed-method research approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods, and focused on pregnant women attending Antenatal Care (ANC) in Dil-Chora, Karamara, and Jugal Hospitals. The research objectives were to assess the levels of health information literacy among pregnant women, identify factors influencing health information literacy, and develop fremwork to consicuative sampling interview and survey were two of the data collection methods used. To ensure the quality of the data, pre-testing, language editing, and consulting with medical professionals during the questionnaire development process were implemented. According to the study, while 25.0% of participants felt less capable, 75.0% of participants said they were confident in their ability to use health information to make decisions about their well-being. Furthermore, although 46.1 percent encountered difficulties, 53.9 percent said they were able to apply pregnancy health-related information to their own lives. The study helps to close the gap between the experiences of pregnant women and the current approaches to health information literacy. It offers substitute plans and methods to raise this target group's level of health information literacy. The results also highlight how crucial it is to take into account the various settings and constraints surrounding information access, especially in rural areas. The developed HIL framework can serve as a valuable tool for empowering pregnant women with the necessary skills to access, evaluate, understand, and apply health information in their decision-making process