A comparative study was conducted to identify the effects of prenatal education on primiparas' self-confidence, satisfaction in maternal role performance and perception of delivery experience. Data were collected from 91 primiparas from August 1 to 30, 2001 using structured questionnaires. The subjects were selected from 2 OB & GY hospitals which operate the same prenatal education programs in M city. One group of subjects was primiparas who did receive prenatal education (n= 44) and another group of subjects was primiparas who did not receive prenatal education (n= 47). This study hypothesized that primiparas in education group would have higher self- confidence, satisfaction in maternal role performance and perception of delivery experience than those of non-education group. Descriptive statistics, X(2)-test, t-test, and correlation were used for data analyses. The results of this study were as follows: 1.Primiparas in prenatal education group would not have better perception of delivery experience than those of non-education group (t= 1.405, p = 0.163). 2.Primiparas in prenatal education group would have higher self-confidence in maternal role performance than those of non-education group (t=7.669, p= 0.000). 3.Primiparas in prenatal education group would have higher satisfaction in maternal role performance than those of non- education group (t= 4.115, p = 0.000). 4.There was significant correlations between self-confidence and satisfaction (r= 0.489, p= 0.000). Moreover, there was significant correlation between self-confidence and perception of delivery experience (r = 0.284, p = 0.006). The results of this study indicated that prenatal education needs to be developed and applied to nursing practice to increase self-confidence and satisfaction in maternal role performance. Experimental studies are needed to identify the effect of prenatal education.
Education ; Nursing ; Prenatal Education* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Statistics as Topic

OBJECTIVE: We studied relationship between average amount of fish consumption and blood mercury level in pregnant women, in addition we would like to know the blood mercury level in pregnant women in Korea and we compared the initial blood mercury level in pregnant women and followed up how much blood mercury level decreased after counseling and prenatal education. METHODS: Pregnant women who received prenatal care at the Yonsei medical center from March 2004 to September 2004, were targeted. They were divided into two groups. One was the study group who was educated to restrict the intake of fish, the other was the control group who was not given any prenatal education. We measured their blood mercury level and followed up until 2nd and 3rd trimester, to find out the differences between two groups. RESULTS: Out of the 63 pregnant women who participated in our study, we followed up 11 pregnant women in the study group and 13 pregnant women of control group. The initial mean blood mercury level of both groups was 2.94 (0.14-10.75) microgram/L. Blood mercury level in fish eating group of more than 4 times a month was higher than the others, which was statistically significant (p=0.02). Followed up blood mercury levels were increased in both groups, but there was not statistically significant between two groups. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women who consume a large amount of fish may have high blood mercury level. As fish intake seems to influence blood mercury level, to lower their blood mercury level, periconceptional education to decrease fish consumption might be necessary.
Counseling ; Eating ; Education ; Female ; Fishes ; Humans ; Korea ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women* ; Prenatal Care ; Prenatal Education

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of a Qigong prenatal education program on anxiety, depression and physical symptoms in pregnant women. METHOD: The subjects were a total of 40 pregnant women who received regular prenatal care at S hospital. Twenty people were enrolled in the Qigong prenatal education program and were assigned to the experimental group. The other 20 people who received regular prenatal care only were the control group. The Qigong prenatal education program was given to the experimental group once a week and 2 hours per session for 4 weeks. Anxiety, depression and physical symptoms were collected by a self-administered study questionnaire at the pre- and post test. RESULT: There were no significant differences in subjects' general characteristics or pretest scores of study variables at the pretest indicating both groups were homogeneous. Differential t-tests were used to test the effects of the Qigong prenatal education program on study variables. Pregnant women who received the Qigong prenatal education program had a lower level of depression than those who did not attend(t=2.23, p=.03). There were no significant differences on anxiety and physical symptoms. CONCLUSION: The Qigong prenatal education program was effective in alleviating depression during pregnancy. However, further study is needed to replicate the results with a greater sample size and to investigate the long term effects of the program on the labor and delivery process.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women* ; Prenatal Care ; Prenatal Education* ; Qigong* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sample Size

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the effects of a prepared childbirth education on the knowledge and delivery participation levels of the spouses of primiparas. METHOD: The study's subjects were a convenience sample of 126 spouses, consisting of an experimental group of 74 educated for prepared childbirth for 10 hours. This study was measured by using a 41-item measurement instrument for knowledge of childbirth that was devised from Kang's(1981) instrument and a 23-item measurement instrument for measuring delivery levels which was developed through clinical experiences. The data gathered as analyzed by using SPSS WIN10.0. RESULT: There were no significant differences between the experimental group and the control group in homogeneity concerning the general characteristics of the spouses of primiparas. The first hypothesis, which stated that the level of knowledge of childbirth in the experimental group who received prepared childbirth education would be higher than in control group, was statistically supported by the Compared Independent Sample t-test(t=17.92, p=.000). The second hypothesis, which stated that the level of participation of delivery in the experimental group who received prepared childbirth education would be higher than in the control group, was also statistically supported (t=28.87, p=.000). The third hypothesis, which stated that there would be a correlation between the level of knowledge and the level of participation in the experimental group who received prepared childbirth education, showed a high positive correlation(r=.810, p=.000). CONCLUSION: The above results indicate that the increase of knowledge through prepared childbirth education in the spouses of primiparas has a high correlation with delivery partici- pation levels which engenders physical and moral support for primiparas at delivery. Additionally, a varied prepared childbirth education acts as an effective means to increase under- standing and support for primiparas couples who experience tension, anxiety and fear due to an unprepared delivery in Korea.
Anxiety ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Korea ; Parturition* ; Prenatal Education* ; Spouses*

PURPOSE: This study was done to confirm prenatal health management and educational needs for pregnant women with advanced maternal age (AMA) and pregnant women under 35 years of age. METHODS: This study was a descriptive research in which self-report questionnaires were used. Participants were 279 pregnant women (83 AMA and 196 less than 35). RESULTS: Only 32.5% of AMA women had received prenatal education and 51.8% reported wanting internet education. AMA women, compared to the under 35 women, had higher levels of self-awareness of health problems and possibility of health problems but lower levels of alcohol experience before pregnancy. For prenatal health management, scores were low for prenatal exercise, prenatal education and nutrition. For prenatal health management education, AMA women reported high levels of need for education on health problems. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that prenatal health management education must be given considering differences in age-related requirements by emphasizing health care and obstetric complications during pregnancy for AMA womenand anemia and information on substance use during pregnancy for women under 35. Reliable internet-based education programs need to be developed using available information and communication technology for the increasing number of employed pregnant women.
Anemia ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Internet ; Maternal Age* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women* ; Prenatal Care ; Prenatal Education ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Pelvic floor muscle exercise is effective for pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. Despite the high prevalence of pelvic floor muscle dysfunction in women in the community, pelvic floor muscle exercise recognition is low in Malaysian society; thus, this intervention is not frequently used . This study assessed the knowledge of, attitudes towards, and use of pelvic floor muscle exercise among antenatal women before and after educational classes. The study also determined factors associated with exercise practice. METHODS: An interventional study was conducted in 121 antenatal women selected through systematic random sampling between June and December 2010. Baseline knowledge of, attitude towards, and practice of pelvic floor muscle exercise were assessed using self-administered validated questionnaires at first visit and at 2 months postpartum. All participants attended two exercise education classes on their next two visits before delivery. A paired t-test and multivariate analysis were used for data evaluation. RESULTS: The mean pre-intervention scores for knowledge, attitudes, and practice were 24.98, 24.25, and 3.51, respectively, with statistically significant mean score increments after intervention (P < 0.001). The mean differences were 4.67 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.86–5.49), 3.77 (95% CI, 3.05–4.50) and 3.45 (95% CI, 2.90–4.00) for knowledge, attitudes, and practice, respectively. Lack of baseline information on pelvic floor muscle exercise was significantly associated with practice change following an educational class. CONCLUSION: Education is effective in improving knowledge of, attitude towards, and practice of pelvic floor muscle exercise. There is a need for greater effort to increase exercise awareness in our community, especially during antenatal class.
Education* ; Female ; Humans ; Malaysia* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pelvic Floor* ; Postpartum Period ; Prenatal Education ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: Maternal-fetal attachment in a pregnant woman is important for her health and for her child's emotional stability. This study was done to identify the contribution of maternal fatigue, social support, and Taegyo to maternal-fetal attachment based on a survey of pregnant women. METHODS: The study was a descriptive correlation study. Participants were 211 from two women's health clinic centers. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: Mean scores for maternal-fetal attachment, Taegyo, maternal fatigue, and social support were 93.74 (range 25-125), 64.76 (17-85), 24.12 (10-40), and 54.43 (22-132), respectively. There were significant differences in maternal-fetal attachment according to parity, breast feeding experience, and putting prenatal education into practice. Multiple regression analysis showed that the key determinants of maternal-fetal attachment, were Taegyo (beta=.67), maternal fatigue (beta=.21), and social support (beta=.13), and these explained 55% of the total variance of attachment. CONCLUSION: The results suggest a need to encourage Taegyo in prenatal management program and provide methods for fatigue resolution and promotion of social support.
Breast Feeding ; Fatigue* ; Female ; Humans ; Maternal-Fetal Relations ; Parity ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Care ; Prenatal Education ; Statistics as Topic ; Women's Health

OBJECTIVE: Currently, preparation for childbirth is becoming an increasingly popular addition to patient education. Because of this interest, it seems advisable to review the evidence on the effect of prepared childbirth. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Lamaze preparation on labor and delivery. METHODS: To investigate whether prepared-childbirth courses offer measurable physical advantages, we compared the labor and delivery characteristics of 80 primiparas who had taken Lamaze-training classes with 76 control patients who had not. We reviewed retrospectively obstetrical records of 156 pregnant women delivered in Ewha Womans University MokDong Hospital from January to December, 1997. RESULT: The length of the first stage of labor in the group that attended childbirth preparation classes was 5.70 hours and 6.93 hours in the comparison group. This difference was statistically significant (P= .040). The mean duration of the second stage of labor in attenders was 42.43 minutes and 41.16 minutes in the nonattenders(P= .719). Average duration of labor in attenders was 1.07 hours shorter than in nonattenders (P= .075). The cesarean section rate in attenders was 25% compared with 36.8% in nonattenders (P= .10920). CONCLUSION: No statistical significance was found in this study. However we need to be aware that the length of first stage of labor was shorter and the rate of cesarean section was lower in prepared group. Childbirth education should be integrated into prenatal health care to be readily available for all women.
Cesarean Section ; Delivery of Health Care ; Female ; Humans ; Parturition ; Patient Education as Topic ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Education ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: This study was done to compare prenatal education programs for anxiety and labor efficacy in third trimester women. METHOD: The subjects were 95 primigravida who attended a prenatal education program at H and B hospital in Kyounggi province and a health center in Chungbuk province and in the Incheon metropolitan area. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire, and trait and state anxiety, and labor efficacy were measured. The data was analyzed by frequency, mean, and paired t-test. RESULT: In this study, there was a high level of anxiety in the primigravida. After the program, only state anxiety was decreased significantly at the attendants of the health center. Labor efficacy was a little increased, but this was not significant. Anxiety was increased and labor efficacy was decreased in the attendant of a private hospital. CONCLUSION: These education programs were not so effective to decrease anxiety and to increase labor efficacy. For on effective program to increase labor efficacy, it is necessary to standardize prenatal education program content and to revise it to decrease state anxiety closer to delivery. It is necessary to discover why these programs were not effective.
Anxiety* ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Education ; Female ; Hospitals, Private ; Humans ; Incheon ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Prenatal Education* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of a breastfeeding management program for promotion of breastfeeding. METHOD: The study design was a non-equivalent control group pre-post test. The study subjects were pregnant women receiving a breastfeeding education class in one hospital in Ilsan. The total number of study subjects was 153 pregnant women, namely 75 mothers in the experimental group and 78 in the control group. Data was collected between June and November, 2006. A breastfeeding management program was provided to the experimental group while admitted for delivery, and in weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 of the postpartum period. The rates of breastfeeding were measured in weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 of the postpartum period. RESULT: There were significant differences in the scores of rate of breastfeeding between the two groups(all cases), which were 93.1 in the experimental group and 85.8 in the control group at week 4; 88.1 vs 71.8 at week 8; 83.4 vs 56.7 at week 12; 71.4 vs 53.9 at week 16; and 65.7 vs 48.4 at week 20 respectively. However, there were not significant differences in the scores of rate of breast-feeding between the two groups, which were 97.7 in the experimental group and 96.0 in the control group in the early postpartum period at week 2, and 59.6 vs 45.3 at week 24. Add to this, the study analyzed only people who had jobs. As a result, the scores of rate of breastfeeding were 94.8 in the experimental group which were significantly higher than 88.5 in the control group at week 4; 93.2 vs 73.3 at week 8; 89.6 vs 57.2 at week 12; and 75.0 vs 46.0 at week 20 respectively. However, there were not significant differences at week 2, week 16 and week 24. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that a breastfeeding management program during the last trimester of the perinatal period and postpartum period may increase the duration of breastfeeding in postpartum clients who intend to breastfeed. This study supports the literature which found that prenatal education and postpartum support are important to the outcome of breastfeeding.
Breast Feeding* ; Education ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Female ; Humans ; Mothers ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Education