Health literacy linked to pregnancy and newborn outcomes in Afghan immigrant women

Researchers conducted an analytical cross-sectional study in 2024 involving 270 Afghan immigrant women in Alborz Province, Iran. Participants completed questionnaires on maternal health literacy and socioeconomic status, alongside a maternal-newborn demographic checklist. The investigators used path analysis to assess relationships between health literacy, self-rated health, pregnancy outcomes and newborn measures.

Health literacy was positively associated with pregnancy outcome scores through direct and indirect pathways (reported coefficient B=0.51) and was indirectly associated with birth weight (B=0.028) through maternal weight gain. Prenatal care visit frequency (B=0.22) and gestational age (B=0.17) had the strongest reported direct associations with pregnancy outcomes. Gestational age was positively associated with birth weight (B=0.58), head circumference (B=0.46) and 1-minute Apgar score (B=0.34). Self-rated health was associated with pregnancy outcome scores indirectly (B=0.04) and had a negative association with head circumference (B=-0.12).

The findings describe associations in a specific immigrant population and support attention to health literacy and access to culturally appropriate prenatal care. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality, and the reported path coefficients do not show that an intervention to improve health literacy would change outcomes. The authors report no competing interests.