The Relationship Between Health Literacy and Risk Perception in Pregnant Women: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Objective: This study aimed to determine the relationship between health literacy and risk perception among pregnant women.Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 353 pregnant women attending the obstetrics and gynecology outpatient clinic of a university hospital. Data were collected using the Pregnant Descriptive Form, the Health Literacy Scale (HLS), and the Risk Perception in Pregnancy Scale. Descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, and structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were performed using SPSS.Results: The mean age of the participants was 27.67 ± 4.92 years. The mean total score of the HLS was 114.64 ± 11.61, and the mean total score of the Risk Perception in Pregnancy Scale was 2.23 ± 1.32. A weak but statistically significant negative correlation was found between total health literacy and total risk perception scores (r = −0.16, P < .05). Health literacy was negatively associated with fetal risk perception (r = −0.18, P < .05), while no significant association was observed with maternal risk perception. Educational level was the strongest positive predictor of health literacy, whereas age, pregnancy planning status, employment, socioeconomic status, and family type were not significant predictors (P > .05). Structural equation modeling analysis supported these findings and indicated acceptable model fit.Conclusion: Health literacy is an important determinant of risk perception during pregnancy, particularly in balancing fetal risk perception. Educational level plays a key role in health literacy. Strengthening educational interventions in antenatal care may improve risk communication and informed decision-making.