A current situation and factors related to preconception care health literacy among men visiting an infertility clinic in Japan: A cross-sectional study

抄録

Objectives

This study aimed to reveal the current status and factors related to preconception care (PCC) health literacy among men visiting an infertility clinic in Japan.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted between September and November 2022 at a clinic specializing in infertility treatment in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Three hundred leaflets with website addresses and QR codes linked to a web-based questionnaire were placed in the waiting rooms of the research facility. The participants were asked to complete a web-based questionnaire and participate in the study. The PCC Health Literacy Scale was used to measure PCC health literacy in men. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors related to PCC health literacy.

Results

Seventy-seven men completed the questionnaire. The mean PCC health literacy score was 38.8 ± 6.5 points. This mean score was used as the cut-off value according to which the participants were divided into two groups: high and low PCC health literacy. The men who visited the infertility outpatient clinic for the first time and who identified “kind of being tiresome” as a reason for not visiting an infertility clinic had a significant risk of low PCC health literacy.

Conclusion

This study revealed factors related to PCC health literacy among men seeking care at an infertility clinic for the first time. Future research should expand the targets of the survey, such as medical facilities specializing in infertility nationwide, and include men in the pre-perinatal period rather than solely including men who visit infertility clinics.