Proceedings of the 15th International Academic Conference, Rome

EFFECTIVENESS OF A PLANNED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR PRIMIGRAVIDA INDIAN WOMEN REGARDING FACTORS INFLUENCING LBW

ABEER ORABI, PUSHPAMALA RAMIAH

Abstract:

Introduction A baby’s weight at birth is an indicator of maternal health and nutrition during pregnancy. Being underweight in the womb increases the risk of death in the early months and years of a child’s life and those who survive tend to have impaired immune function, increased risk of disease and reduced muscle strength, cognitive abilities and IQ throughout their lives. Objectives - To determine the knowledge of primigravida women regarding factors influencing LBW as measured by structured interview schedule. - To evaluate the effectiveness of a planned educational program (PEP) for primigravida women on factors influencing LBW in terms of gain in knowledge score. Hypothesis The mean post-test knowledge scores of the primigravida women regarding factors influencing low birth weight will be significantly higher than the mean pre-test knowledge scores. Design A Quazi-experimental design was adopted to conduct the current study. One group pre-test post-test approach was used. Sample Thirty primigravida women in first and second trimester attending antenatal clinic in Mangalore were recruited purposively for the current study. Tool A structured closed ended questionnaire was prepared by the researchers and used to assess: the knowledge level of the primigravida women through a pre-test and the effectiveness of the PEP, after its implementation. Content validity of the questionnaire and the program was assured by a panel of 9 experts in the field of obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics nursing. Also, reliability was tested by Karl Pearson’s correlation formula (r= 0.90, P=0.001). Intervention Implementation of a PEP regarding factors influencing LBW for the primigravida women. Data analysis and interpretation The highest percentage of the respondents (53.33%) had poor knowledge and 46.67% had average knowledge regarding factors influencing low birth weight. Thus, primigravida women need to be educated on factors influencing low birth weight. With regard to the pre-test knowledge level, the mean percentage of total knowledge score was 36% with a mean ± SD of 10.80 ± 3.39, which increased to 84.77% with a mean ± SD of 25.43±2.62 in the post-test suggesting that, the planned educational program increased the total percentage of knowledge score of primigravida women on factors influencing LBW by 48.77%. In conclusion, the whole study showed that, the planned educational program may be effective in increasing the knowledge of primigravida women (t= 19.72, P .001) regarding factors influencing low birth weight.

Keywords: Low birth weight, factors influencing, primigravida women, prevention, planned educational program

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2015.015.138

PDF: Download