Health Literacy and Child Health Outcomes: From Prenatal to Birth and Infant Stages

The impact of parental health literacy and the health outcomes of young children is a poorly studied area. DeWalt, et al., summarized the pertinent literature regarding literacy and child outcomes, not necessarily health literacy, from 1980 through 2008.1 They presented 24 studies that dealt with the relationship between literacy and child health outcomes and found that lower literacy was associated with a lack of basic knowledge regarding a known medical condition, difficulty utilizing consent forms, non-comprehension of the concepts behind prenatal screening, and non-understanding of educational brochures resulting in poorer health outcomes. However, the impact of health literacy on a baby occurs before birth or even before pregnancy.1