LAUSR

Arab Women in East Jerusalem often have limited education and low socioeconomic status (SES) and are therefore at risk of low health literacy. Most health literature is poorly translated into Arabic from other languages, leading to unintentional misrepresentation and content gaps. These materials are often culturally inappropriate and full of medical jargon that is incomprehensible to the layperson. Although studies have explored the needs of Arab communities in Israel, none have focused specifically on Arab women in East Jerusalem. The aim of this study is to assess the needs and barriers to health care as related to health literacy in Arab Palestinian women in East Jerusalem. A purposive process was used to recruit mothers aged 25-50 whose children attended East Jerusalem schools. We conducted 4 focus groups (FG) in three different East Jerusalem regions. These groups were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using systematic text condensation. The Arab Palestinian women in our FGs reported difficulty communicating with doctors and understanding their instructions. Language barriers played a role, as reports were written in Hebrew or English. The women also reported an inability to interpret their blood test results and access medical information, as well as a lack of knowledge for their screening needs. They reported not knowing how to get their medical complaints addressed or what their medical rights were. They also complained of inconsistent medical staffing, which made establishing a relationship with their doctor difficult. FGs provided a deeper understanding of this community's health literacy needs, including communication power dynamics and the need for culturally appropriate and effective community-based interventions. FGs also identified potential intervention methods tailored to the community and understand their barriers to HL. This study informed a pioneering community-based HL intervention for Arab women. To our knowledge, this is the first study assessing the specific needs and barriers to health care health literacy among Palestinian Arab mothers in East Jerusalem. This study will inform us of community-based culturally appropriate interventions for this community.