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Background: Previous health literacy research has often focused on individual functional health literacy, ignoring the cultural contexts through which many people experience health care., Objective: We aimed to explore the nature of maternal health literacy among ethnic minority women in a low-resource setting in Vietnam., Methods: Using a qualitative approach, we conducted focus groups with 42 pregnant women, mothers, and grandmothers of children younger than age 5 years from the Thai and Hmong ethnic groups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants and thematic analysis was performed., Key Results: The findings of our thematic analysis aligned well with the concept of distributed health literacy. We found that ethnic minority women drew upon family and social networks of health literacy mediators to share knowledge and understanding, assess and evaluate information, communicate with health professionals, and support decision-making. Family members were also involved in making health decisions that had the potential to negatively affect women and children's health., Conclusions: Family members are an important source of information for ethnic minority women, and they influence decision-making. Relatives and husbands of pregnant women could be included in maternal health education programs to potentially strengthen the health literacy of the whole community. The distributed health literacy concept can be used to strengthen health promotion messages and to reduce the risk of negative health outcomes. [ HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice . 2019;3(1):e31-e42.] ., Plain Language Summary: Distributed health literacy refers to how health literacy skills and practices are distributed through social networks. This concept applies well to the maternal health context in Vietnam. Older women are trusted sources of information, and family influences decision-making during pregnancy. Women's limited autonomy increases the importance of family involvement. Distributed health literacy could be used to strengthen health promotion messages.

Background: Vietnam has made notable progress in reducing maternal mortality rates during the past 2 decades, but this overall improvement conceals regional and ethnic inequalities. Ethnic minorities in Vietnam experience high rates of poverty and mortality, and they face communication and cultural barriers when accessing health services. Poor communication with health professionals combined with limited health literacy is concerning, particularly in the maternal health context, and may exacerbate existing inequalities., Objective: This study explores primary health care professionals' perceptions of the quality of their communication with ethnic minority women during and after pregnancy., Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 primary health care professionals in Dien Bien province. A thematic analysis was performed using a framework analysis method., Key Results: Health professionals had mostly positive perceptions about their communication with ethnic minority women. However, they generally perceived the effectiveness of their communication as being based on women's individual capacities to understand health information (both the language used and the content) and factors such as ethnic and cultural differences, rather than reflecting on the suitability of information and materials or on their own communication skills. This placed much of the burden of communication and understanding health information on ethnic minority women and their families., Conclusions: Health professionals perceived of communication as being mainly a one-way street for the provision of health information, and rarely acknowledged the interactive nature of communication. Patient-professional communication and health literacy in Dien Bien province may be improved through the introduction of patient-centered communication skills training that applies health literacy approaches at the health professional level. [ Health Literacy Research and Practice . 2017;1(4):e163-e172.] ., Plain Language Summary: We looked at how primary health care professionals in Vietnam perceive their communication with ethnic minority women, particularly about pregnancy. Health professionals generally perceived the quality and effectiveness of their communication as being based on ethnic minority women's individual capacities and limitations. Applying a health literacy approach to communication skills training could improve patient-professional communication and health literacy.