​Evaluating the Effectiveness of Group Sessions with Pre-recorded Presentations on Digital and Postpartum Health Literacy Among Arab American Women

Arab refugees, immigrants, and migrants (RIMs) experience barriers in accessing accurate health information. To combat this, the Refugee Reproductive Health Network (ReproNet) developed Arabic, culturally concurrent health literacy sessions that included pre-recorded presentations on postpartum care. We evaluated the impact of these group sessions on postpartum knowledge and health literacy in the Arab RIM community in Southern California.

We recruited a convenience sample of 51 Arab RIMs through community organizations and the ReproNet client list for one in-person and three virtual informational sessions on postpartum care. We administered pre- and 2-4 week post-session surveys to measure e-Health Literacy (eHL) and Postpartum Health Literacy (PHL). We conducted descriptive analyses and t-tests to assess mean differences using SAS 9.4.

Of the 51 attendees, 47 participants completed both the pre- and post-tests. Most participants were college-educated, single, and had never had a live birth. The average age was 39.3 years. We observed a significant increase in both eHL and PHL after the informational sessions. Females under the age of 35 had improved more in PHL than those over 35. Nulliparous females had a lower PHL baseline than parous females.

Group health literacy training sessions that implement culturally concurrent methods, including pre-recorded presentations, are effective in increasing postpartum knowledge and health literacy in the Arab RIM community, regardless of parity. Enhancing PHL has the potential to reduce the risks of postpartum complications, such as postpartum depression (PPD), and can potentially contribute to postpartum females' mental and physical health.