Effectiveness of a planned educational program for primigravida Indian women regarding factors influencing LBW

IntroductionA 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.DesignA Quazi-experimental design was adopted to conduct the current study. One group pre-test post-test approach was used.SampleThirty primigravida women in first and second trimester attending antenatal clinic in Mangalore were recruited purposively for the current study.ToolA 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). InterventionImplementation of a PEP regarding factors influencing LBW for the primigravida women. Data analysis and interpretationThe 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.