Effect of Health Educational Program on Knowledge, Attitude, and Reaction of Pregnant Women Regarding Obstetric and Newborn Danger Signs

Abstract

Context: Globally, every minute, at least one pregnant woman dies from obstetric complications. Also, the majority of neonatal deaths occur during the first week of life. These mortality rates can be reduced by increased knowledge, positive attitude, and appropriate reaction regarding obstetric and newborn danger signs.
Aim: The study aimed to examine the effect of a health education program on knowledge, attitude, and the reaction of pregnant women regarding obstetric and newborn danger signs.

Methods: A quasi-experimental research (pre/post-intervention) design was utilized to achieve this study's aim. A purposive sample of 70 pregnant women was recruited according to inclusion criteria. This research was conducted in the Antenatal Outpatient Clinic at Benha University Hospital. Two tools were used for data collection. They were a Structured Interviewing Questionnaire and a Modified Likert Scale to assess women's attitudes.

Results: 77.1% had poor knowledge pre educational program compared with 92.9% post-educational program intervention. Regarding attitude, 52.9% had a negative attitude preprogram compared to 87.1% had a positive attitude post-program with a statistically significant difference between the two phases regarding all knowledge elements. The majority of them (83.3%) had an appropriate reaction (seeking medical help) after the educational program than a few of them pre-educational program.

Conclusion: The implementation educational program significantly improved pregnant women’s knowledge, attitude, and reaction regarding obstetrics and newborn danger signs. The study recommended developing antenatal classes for all pregnant women about key danger signs, appropriate decisions, and reactions in obstetric and newborn danger signs. Further research regarding replicating this study on a large representative probability sample is highly recommended to achieve more generalization of the results.