AUTHOR=Zhou Ningying , Wu Danni , Liu Min , Hu Shanshan , Zhang Feng , Zan Yuqing , Sun Fei 

TITLE=The mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between eHealth literacy and childbirth readiness among pregnant women: a cross-sectional study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1561855

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2025.1561855

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=BackgroundChildbirth readiness is an important component of maternal and child health. Therefore, it is imperative to understand identify the factors influencing childbirth readiness to develop interventions for improving women's wellbeing. In the current digital age, it is crucial to explore the link between eHealth literacy and childbirth readiness. However, few studies have investigated this relationship. Here, we explored the effect of eHealth literacy on childbirth readiness and examined the mediating role of self-efficacy in this relationship.MethodsA total of 350 third-trimester pregnant women were enrolled in this survey from April to June 2023 at the outpatient departments of the Affiliated Women's Hospital of Jiangnan University, China. Four questionnaires were used to collect data from participants: the General Information Questionnaire, eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and Childbirth Readiness Scale (CRS). The associations among variables were determined through Pearson correlation analysis, and the Amos 26.0 software was employed to analyze the mediating role of self-efficacy.ResultsA total of 350 surveys were distributed to the participants, and 338 eligible questionnaires were finally collected, translating to a response rate of 96.57%. The average score of participants was 27.39 ± 6.40 on the GSES, 32.15 ± 6.16 on the eHEALS, and 74.26 ± 8.81 on the CRS. The eHEALS scores exhibited a strong positive association with self-efficacy (r = 0.509, P < 0.01), which in turn was positively correlated with childbirth readiness (r = 0.505, P < 0.01). Self-efficacy mediated the relationship between eHealth literacy and childbirth readiness, accounting for 33.02% of the total effect.ConclusionsE-health literacy is a positive predictor of childbirth readiness among pregnant women, with self-efficacy mediating the association. These findings provide a basis for developing targeted interventions to improve childbirth readiness.