Postpartum Education and Health Literacy: New Moms’ Perspectives

Abstract

Globally, 830 women die daily from preventable postpartum issues. Little research exists on health literacy’s role in maternal morbidity and mortality. This study examined new moms’ perception of postpartum education in Texas using the Integrated Model of Health Literacy. Twenty-one postpartum women underwent semi-structured interviews. We assessed their ability to access, understand, appraise and apply information based on postnatal education. Participants identified gaps in consistency and usability including too much information, lack of time to read and lack of cultural sensitivity especially about postpartum depression (PPD). Findings suggested a need for standardized, concise, health literate and culturally sensitive postpartum education.

Keywords:

• Health literacy
• health communication
• maternal mortality
• postpartum education

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Texas Center for Health Disparities for guidance in this research, UNTHSC Healthy Start Program and Tyler Family Circle of Care for referrals of postpartum moms using the approved protocol as well as the moms who participated to abate harm for future moms.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute On Minority Health And Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U54MD006882. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Notes on contributors

Teresa Wagner

Teresa Wagner, DrPH, MS, CPH, RDN/LD, CHWI, DipACLM, CHWC is an Assistant Professor in the UNT Health Science Center, School of Health Professions and Clinical Executive for Health Literacy at Safer Care Texas, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76107. Dr. Wagner’s expertise is in health literacy. In her current role at SaferCare Texas, she has established a multi-stakeholder health literacy collaborative with DFW Hospital Council Foundation. Additionally, she has testified on health literacy legislation helping place health literacy in the Texas State Health Plan. In 2018, she received the Health Literacy Hero Award at the Texas Health Literacy Conference. Nationally, she speaks and facilitates trainings on health literacy. She serves on the Standing Committee on Finance & Legal for the International Health Literacy Association and co-chairs their Policy & Advocacy Special Interest Group. Dr. Wagner recently received The Distinguished Alumni Award from Texas Christian University.

Erika L. Thompson

Erika Thompson, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior and Health Systems. Her research focuses on maternal and child health and women’s health issues using mixed method approaches. Erika recently received The Judy K Black Early Career Research Award from the American Academy of Health Behavior.

Amber Gadson

Amber Gadson, MS4 is a fourth-year medical student at UNT Health Science Center, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76107. Amber’s research interests include maternal mortality, health literacy, and preconception care. Amber has been accepted to residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Marie Stark

Marie Stark, MSN, RNC-OB is an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at Texas Christian University, Harris College of Nursing, 2800 S University Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76129. Marie’s areas of expertise are inpatient obstetric nursing, social and emotional literacy, and promoting partnerships in education. She currently teaches public health nursing clinical, and health assessment lab. In 2017, she was named one of Dallas/Fort Worth’s Great 100 Nurses. Her years of experience in labor and delivery, maternal/child health, and educating nursing students have allowed her to promote student application beyond the classroom. She has implemented multiple projects in underserved communities and developed partnerships with organizations aiming to decrease maternal and infant mortality in Texas.

Kim Bush

Kim Bush, MPA, BA, CHWI, CHW serves as Program Director for the Center of Population Health, Analytics, and Quality Advancement and Texas Area Health Education (AHEC) East Northeast Region within the School of Community and Rural Health at The University of Texas Health Science Center. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Public Administration from University of Texas at Tyler. In addition, Kim is a Community Health Worker (CHW) and Community Health Worker Instructor (CHW-I). She is currently working on her doctoral study as a part of completing a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH). She has over 20 years of experience in behavioral and community health working with Medicaid, Medicare, low-income, and indigent populations.

Amy Raines-Milenkov

Amy Raines Milenkov, DrPH is an Assistant Professor at UNT Health Science Center serving as both the Healthy Start Director and Building Bridges Director, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76107. For more than 15 years, Dr. Raines-Milenkov has dedicated her research and practice interests to maternal health, preconception health, birth outcomes and system and social contributors to adverse outcomes. She is a member of UNTHSC’s ForHer Health Institute, focused on improving women’s health through excellence in clinical care, research and education. She serves on the Texas Department of State Health Services Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force force charged with studying and reviewing pregnancy-related deaths and trends in severe maternal morbidity. She also serves as chair of the Tarrant County Infant Health Network, a member of the Texas Refugee and Immigrant Women’s Association, and as an Expert Panel Member of the Texas Department of State Health Services’ Healthy Texas Babies Initiative.