Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Pediatric Nursing, cilt.89, ss.576-584, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship among microbiota awareness, health literacy levels, and the presence of allergic diseases in early childhood among mothers with children aged 0–6 years. Design and methods This cross-sectional study included 225 mothers registered at a family health center who had at least one child aged 0–6 years. Data were collected through the Sociodemographic Characteristics Form, the Microbiota Awareness Scale, and the Health Literacy Scale. Results The mothers' microbiota awareness mean score was 67.16 ± 9.18, indicating a moderate level. A weak but significant positive correlation was found between microbiota awareness and health literacy ( r = 0.233; p < 0.001). Microbiota awareness was also weakly associated with the presence of allergic diseases in children ( r = 0.252; p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the presence of allergic disease in the child, mothers' age, and microbiota-related parenting behaviors were associated with higher awareness. On the other hand, low education and inadequate/problematic health literacy were associated with lower awareness. The model explained 25.6% of the variance in microbiota awareness (R2 = 0.256; Adjusted R2 = 0.236; F(6,218) = 12.513, p < 0.001). Conclusion Mothers' microbiota awareness was associated with both their health literacy and caregiving experiences related to allergic diseases. Practice implication The findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving mothers' microbiota awareness should not rely solely on enhancing general health literacy but also incorporate experiential and topic-specific educational strategies, particularly for mothers of children with allergic diseases.