Experiences and perceptions of pregnant women regarding health education given during the antenatal period

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The availability and provision of good antenatal care services ensure early detection and prompt management of any complication or disease that may adversely affect pregnancy outcome. To ensure high quality care, an ongoing health education and empowerment of pregnant women with pregnancy related information, need to be provided by midwives throughout pregnancy.The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the pregnant women`s experiences and perceptions regarding health education given during the antenatal period.The objectives set were to- explore the content of the health education given to pregnant women by midwives during the antenatal period- determine whether the health education offered by midwives is understood by pregnant women- determine whether information regarding Health Education during antenatal period is applicable and is used by pregnant women.A qualitative approach with an explorative descriptive design was applied for the purpose of this study.The population included pregnant women who attended an antenatal clinic for the second time in 2012. Ten pregnant women were selected purposively who consented to participate in the study.The trustworthiness of this study was assured by using Lincoln and Guba`s criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. A pretest was done with one participant not included in the actual study.Ethics approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University, reference: S12/05/136. Informed written consent was obtained from each participant which included a recording of the interview.Data was collected through semi-structured interviews using an interview guide and a tape recorder. The researcher approached two women per day for five days. A total of ten (10) pregnant women were interviewed until data saturation reached.The use of Tesch's eight steps of data analysis was used to analyse the transcribed data as described in De Vos et al. (2004:331).Findings revealed that health education was given to pregnant women at the institution under study but with minimum explanations. The midwives were perceived as supportive and regarded as a source of information and self-care agents. Antenatal attendance was regarded as important by participants. Participants indicated that their unborn babies were monitored by the midwives in order to detect abnormalities early. However, midwives emphasised non-pregnancy related complications specifically HIV/AIDS and neglected to give basic antenatal care, such as antenatal exercises, personal hygiene and diet. Language was found to be a barrier and contributed to a lack of information.Recommendations include basic antenatal aspects to be covered in the health education, such as emphasis on personal hygiene, exercises, diet and avoidance of harmful sociocultural practices. With the implementation of appropriate teaching principles language, age and involvement of influential people during health education should be considered.In conclusion, to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality rates and promoting self-care reliance, antenatal care services should be accessible to facilitate ongoing health education by midwives throughout pregnancy.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University