Improved literacy can reduce maternal deaths globally

Help us improve U of'T News! Your feedback is important to us. Fill out our 5 minute survey and tell us what features or content you like most. Your responses will help us improve the University of Toronto's news site. Globally, far fewer women would die from problems related to pregnancy if they could read and understand medical advice, University of Toronto researchers write in a commentary published in the journal PLOS Medicine . Pregnancy-related complications are the leading cause of death among women aged 15 to 29 years — an issue that many lowand middle-income countries have begun to address through preconception care, which seeks to improve a woman's health within the period of a year before she becomes pregnant. But preconception care, which can include dietary modifications, contraception and management of pre-existing health conditions, requires that a woman has the capacity to understand written or spoken advice to make the lifestyle changes that will promote a healthy pregnancy. "Preconception care has recently become part of efforts to improve maternal and child health in lowand middle-income countries," says Joel Ray, a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynaecology at U of T, and lead author on the commentary.