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The Effect of Educational Intervention on Self-Care Behaviors during Pregnancy and Birth Weight, an Application of the Integration of the Health Belief Model and the Social Support Structure
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Vahid Nohtani1    , Mehralsadat Mahdizadeh *2 , Hadi Tehrani3 , Nooshin Peyman3 , Hossein Izadi Rad4 |
1- Student Research Committee, Health Education and Health Promotion Department, Faculty of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
2- Health Education and Health Promotion Department, Health Promotion Research Center, Faculty of Health, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
3- Health Education and Health Promotion Department, Health Determinants Research Center, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
4- Public Health Department, Health Determinants Research Center, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran |
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Abstract: (40 Views) |
Introduction: Adequate self-care practices during pregnancy are associated with reduced risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, including low birth weight.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an educational intervention on self-care behaviors during pregnancy and its subsequent impact on birth weight.
Methods and Materials: The quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2017 among 90 primiparous pregnant women in Iranshahr, Iran. Participants were recruited through simple random sampling and randomly allocated to intervention (n=45) and control (n=45) groups. The intervention group received five educational sessions focused on prenatal self-care. Data were collected using a three-part questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics, constructs of the Health Belief Model, and pregnancy-related self-care behaviors. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19 with independent t-tests, paired t-tests, and chi-square tests; statistical significance was set at P<0.05.
Results: The mean age of participants was 20.78±2.18 years in the intervention group and 21.00±2.97 years in the control group. Post-intervention, the intervention group exhibited significant improvements in all assessed Health Belief Model constructs: perceived susceptibility (15.60±0.72), perceived severity (15.07±1.25), perceived benefits (14.00±1.12), self-efficacy (13.42±0.83), and perceived social support (15.84±0.42), as well as in self-care behaviors (15.77±1.52) (all P<0.05). Infants born to mothers in the intervention group had significantly higher mean birth weight than those in the control group (P=0.036).
Conclusion: Educational interventions grounded in the Health Belief Model and enhanced by social support effectively improve self-care behaviors among pregnant women and result in higher birth weight. This integrated framework is recommended as a robust approach for designing and implementing prenatal education programs to optimize maternal and neonatal outcomes.
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| Keywords: Birth Weight, Self-Care, Social Support |
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Full-Text [PDF 558 kb]
(40 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Health education and health promotion
Received: 2023/10/15 | Revised: 2024/01/6 | Accepted: 2024/01/13 | Published: 2025/09/30
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