Relationship Between Pregnant Women's eHealth Literacy and Their Attitudes Toward Sexuality

During pregnancy, which involves intense physiological and psychological changes, attitudes toward sexuality may change. eHealth literacy is highly important in this period, during which sexuality changes, for pregnant women to access information about sexuality, research such information, make effective decisions, and shape their attitudes toward sexuality. This study was planned to examine the relationship between the eHealth literacy levels of pregnant women and their attitudes toward sexuality.

This is a cross-sectional study. The study was carried out with the participation of 297 pregnant women who presented to the antenatal outpatient clinics of a university hospital. A personal information form, the eHealth Literacy Scale, and the Attitude Scale toward sexuality during pregnancy were utilized to collect data. In the analyses, the independent-samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis methods were used.

The participants had a mean total eHealth Literacy Scale score of 25.28 ± 7.15, while their mean total Attitude Scale toward sexuality during pregnancy score was 118.87 ± 16.7. It was determined that as the eHealth literacy levels of the participants increased, their positive attitudes toward sexuality during pregnancy also increased. It was concluded that eHealth literacy is a significant positive predictor of the attitudes of pregnant women toward sexuality.

To have the ability to protect and improve maternal and fetal health by making appropriate interventions, it is important for health professionals to know the information requirements and sources of pregnant women. It is recommended to determine the eHealth literacy levels of pregnant women and assess their sexuality-related attitudes in their routine follow-ups.