Abstract

This paper examines the concept of health information literacy, defined as the degree to which childbearing women have the motivation and ability to gain access, obtain, process, understand and use basic health information to control their maternal anxiety. Specifically, it investigates the viability of using the concept of health information literacy to control parenting role, coping capacity, behavior, emotion, intrusion and less active engagement among childbearing women. The paper reports on the results of previous studies conducted among childbearing women and new mothers to obtain different perspectives on the issues surrounding health literacy and maternal anxiety. The results give us a realistic look at what childbearing women are learning from existing health information literacy and how it affects their maternal anxiety. Comparing the results from the existing literatures, the study found that maternal anxiety is influenced by the level of health information literacy. Finding showed that anxious childbearing women are more intrusive, have less warmth and less active management. The study therefore recommended that working towards the development of health information literacy among childbearing will bring women the confidence and emotional insight which they no longer gain from their antenatal and postnatal experience and from the other women. Childbearing women should be equipped with skills and confidence, so that when the labour process is over, the reality of parenthood becomes a positive and healthy experience.

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