Investigating the Effect of Educational Intervention on Oral Health Literacy in Pregnant Women Referring to Comprehensive Health Centers in Arak, 2022

Vollständiger Abstract

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Introduction: Health literacy is a key determinant of health-related behaviors and outcomes. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of an educational intervention on oral health literacy of pregnant women referring to health centers in Arak city in 2022. Methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial and was conducted among 105 pregnant women (54 in the intervention group and 51 in the control group) who referred to health centers in Arak city. The educational intervention was conducted virtually (from week 12 to 24) and through social networks. The data collection tool was questions related to demographic information and a standard questionnaire, Oral Health Literacy Adults Questionnaire (OHL-AQ), which was completed to measure oral health literacy in two groups before and three months after the end of the educational intervention. The data were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 22 software. Results:Three months after the educational intervention, there was a significant difference (P=0/022) in the level of oral health literacy between the intervention and control groups. 28% of the participants in the intervention group had adequate health literacy, which increased to 40% three months after the educational intervention. After the intervention, there was a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the dimension of reading comprehension and decision-making. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, educational intervention regarding oral health literacy in pregnant women was effective on their oral health literacy levels.