1. Assessment of the Functional Health Literacy in Parents and Infant Caregivers: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Author
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Isadora Araújo, Sabrina Ferreira Nardi, Francisco Winter dos Santos Figueiredo, Katarinne Lima Moraes, André Pontes-Silva, and Erika da Silva Maciel
- Subjects
Health Literacy ,Health Promotion ,Quality Of Life ,Child Health ,Sports ,GV557-1198.995 - Abstract
Objective: To assess the functional health literacy of parents and carers of infants up to one year of age. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of pregnant women and carers of infants up to 1 year of age. The population consisted of pregnant women, men and women caring for infants up to 1 year of age, over 18 years of age, residing in the State of Tocantins. We used the instrument culturally adapted and validated in Brazil to assess the level of functional health literacy related to child health, the Parental Health Literacy Activities Test (PHLAT). Results: The sample consisted of 37 participants, the majority of whom were mothers. The mean age of the babies was 6.5 months. The majority of primary caregivers were married (78.4%) and had their mother as their primary caregiver (94.6%). The mean age of the primary caregiver was 32.0 years. Among the PHLAT domains, the clinical/assessment/vaccination domain showed high literacy. However, in two important aspects, two of the questions with the highest percentage of errors were also in this domain: administering medication without a prescription and dosing according to the instructions on the package leaflet (which is an inappropriate practice). Literacy was also low in the psychosocial/developmental domain. Also of concern is the nutrition domain, where four of the eight items had high literacy. The items with low literacy required reading infant formula labels, calculating serum therapy dosages, and being able to read and interpret content. Conclusion: Participants demonstrate inadequate functional health literacy.
- Published
- 2024
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