Exploring the Relationship between Maternal Health Literacy, Parenting Self-Efficacy, and Early Parenting Practices among Low-Income Mothers with Infants

Abstract

Objective: To explore the association of maternal health literacy (MHL), parenting self-efficacy and early parenting practices among low-income mothers with infants.

Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design.

Participants: Low-income mothers (N=186) with infants.

Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted using English and Spanish versions of questionnaires by trained bilingual research assistants. The Newest Vital Sign (NVS) screening tool was used to measure MHL.

Results: Nearly three-quarters (72%) of mothers were rated as having low MHL. In the bivariate analysis, MHL was positively correlated with education, household income, language, social support, parenting self-efficacy, and early parenting practices, but negatively correlated with number of children. The study findings demonstrate that parenting self-efficacy had a mediating effect on MHL and early parenting practices among mothers with infants.

Conclusion: Results suggest that future research is needed to advance MHL in low-income mothers and to inform potential HL interventions for this target population.

Figure 1.

Conceptual framework.

Figure 2.

Relationship between maternal health literacy and early parenting practices by parenting self-efficacy.^a Note ^a The indirect path was significant (Bias corrected 95% CI .01, .06) (based on 5,000 bootstrap samples, 95% CI do not cross zero). Solid lines represent significant pathways, and dashed lines represent nonsignificant pathways. Variance explained 3%. A=Path A, B=Path B, C=total effect=AB+C’, C’=direct effect. *p <.05; **p < .01 b= Regression Coefficients; SE= Standard Errors