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Introduction The 2011 population study on health literacy found that 40% of the Irish population had inadequate health literacy. There has been little research in Ireland and internationally on health literacy in pregnancy. This research explores health literacy levels in women at risk of gestational diabetes (GDM). Methods Pregnant women at risk of GDM were interviewed on the day of their oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at University Hospital Galway. Both functional health literacy and general health literacy, using the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) (U.K.) and the Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire respectively, were measured. Socio-demographic parameters and clinical data were captured from a participant questionnaire and from data sourced from hospital electronic databases. Pregnancy outcomes were collected from the hospital maternity database and results of the OGTT were sourced from the hospital laboratory database. Results There were 297 participants, of which 30 (10.3%) were diagnosed with GDM. Limited functional health literacy was found in 75 participants (25.3%) and limited general health literacy in 113 participants (38%). Household income, parental ethnic background, education attainment and social status were predictors of limited health literacy (p |
