Associations between health literacy and beliefs about medicines in an Irish obstetric population

Abstract

The authors wanted to determine the prevalence of limited health literacy, and the relation between health literacy and beliefs about medicines, in an obstetric population. A survey was administered in Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland. The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and the general section of the Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire were used. Of 404 women, 15.3% (n = 62) displayed limited health literacy. Age and health literacy were significantly associated with one another, as were health literacy and level at which participants completed formal education. In the general harm domain, level of education and health literacy were associated with stronger beliefs: M = 11.85, SD = 2.81 vs. M = 9.75, SD = 2.11; F(3) = 13.69, p