INFLUENCE OF HEALTH LITERACY SKILLS ON THE USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES FOR SAFE DELIVERY BY PREGNANT WOMEN IN HEALTH CARE CENTERS IN IJEBU ODE, OGUN STATE

Abstract

This paper examined the influence of health literacy skills on the use of IT resources for safe delivery by pregnant women in selected primary health care centers in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State. This study employed a descriptive survey design thus the researchers obtained the primary data through a questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The research samples comprised 100 pregnant women who were registered and receiving prenatal care from the randomly selected 10 public primary health care centers in Ijebu Ode. Findings revealed that the level of health literacy skills of pregnant women is determined by the sufficient pregnancy-related information each respondent possesses to manage their health. It indicated that the available IT resources for pregnant women to obtain pregnant-related information for their safe delivery are relatively low; there is a low level of utilization of IT resources by pregnant women. The major increasing challenges and restrictions towards the use of IT resources for the safe delivery of pregnant women are low level of literacy skill, lack of confidence, and IT skills among others. The study recommended health literacy sensitive interventions by health professionals, intensified level of provision, availability, and accessibility of information technology resource, to health professionals as well as pregnant women in primary health care centers by the government and its agencies.