HEALTH LITERACY – KNOWLEDGE ABOUT DIASTASIS OF THE RECTUS AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH PELVIC FLOOR DYSFUNCTIONS

P.C. Santos^1,2,3, M.J. Costa¹, S. Lopes¹, J. Mota², S. Pereira¹, C. Mesquita^1,3

¹School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Department of Physiotherapy, Porto, Portugal, ²Faculty of Sport, University of Porto (FADEUP), Research Center in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL) - Faculty of Sport, University of Porto (FADEUP) and Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), Porto, Portugal, ³School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, CIR - Center for Rehabilitation Research, Porto, Portugal

Background: Health literacy includes a set of skills needed to make appropriate health decisions and successfully navigate the health care system. These skills include reading, writing, numeracy, communication, and, increasingly, the use of electronic technology. Lifestyle modification plays a key role in health promotion, namely in weight control and prevention of chronic diseases as well as the diastasis of the rectus and pelvic floor dysfunction. Women with rectus diastasis experience challenges in adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits, which may be related to pelvic floor dysfunction and health literacy.

Purpose: Assess the levels of Health literacy related to rectus diastasis, through its domains - functional, interactive, and critical - and its relationship with sociodemographic variables; as well, analyse a possible relationship between the different levels of literature and the presence of pelvic floor dysfunction.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 318 women residents in Portugal, aged between 18 and 65 years.
An online assessment questionnaire called “Health Literacy - Knowledge about diastasis of the rectus abdominal muscles” was developed, which aims to assess the level of health literacy. In addition to this, the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory was used to verify the presence of pelvic floor dysfunctions. The confidence interval used was 95%.

Results: In the domains of functional and interactive literacy related to diastasis recti, it was found that most women are between inadequate (23.0% and 23.3%) to problematic (59.7% and 51.3%) literacy levels respectively.
Women with higher education have a better level of functional and interactive literacy than those with the 2nd cycle (p<0.001). Women who perform intellectual and scientific activities related to health are also the ones with better literacy in all domains.
We also found that women who have one or more pelvic floor dysfunctions have lower rectus diastasis literacy levels in all domains (p<0.05).

Conclusions: Health Literacy levels of rectus diastasis are inadequate or problematic in most women. Literacy is higher in younger women, with higher academic qualifications and who work in intellectual or scientific professions related to health. In this sample, the increase of Literacy on rectus diastasis is inversely related to the presence of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction.

Implications: It is important for physical therapists to address health literacy in Women's health to empower women and contribute to their involvement in health decision-making.

Funding acknowledgements: Portuguese Foundation Science Technology (FCT UID/DTP/00617/2020 [Research Center in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure-CIAFEL] and LA/P/0064/2020 [Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Research-ITR])

Keywords:
Literacy
Health Promotion
Women's Health

Topics:
Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity
Pelvic, sexual and reproductive health
Primary health care

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: Polytechnic of Porto

Committee: Ethics Committee of School of Health

Ethics number: CE0060B