The effectiveness of care program for pregnant women at risk of preterm birth at Bo Phloi Hospital, Kanchanaburi Province

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study with a one-group pretest–posttest design aimed to: (1) compare the mean knowledge scores of pregnant women before and after participating in the program, and (2) compare the mean self-care behavior scores of pregnant women before and after participating in the program. The sample consisted of 30 pregnant women with gestational age between 16–30 weeks who attended antenatal care at Bo Phloi Hospital. The participants were selected using purposive sampling. The research instruments included: (1) a care program for pregnant women at risk of preterm birth, (2) a self-care manual for pregnant women at risk of preterm birth, (3) a knowledge test, and (4) a self-care behavior questionnaire for pregnant women at risk of preterm birth. The instruments were validated by three experts, yielding an Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) ranging from 0.67 to 1.00, and the reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .73. Data was analyzed using paired t-test statistics.

The study found that before participating in the program, the mean knowledge score was at a high level ( = 17.73, SD = 2.31). After participating in the program, the mean knowledge score remained at a high level ( = 20.23, SD = 1.31). The mean post-program knowledge score was significantly higher than the pre-program score (p < .001). Regarding self-care behaviors, before participating in the program, most participants demonstrated behaviors at a high level ( = 4.33, SD = 0.82). After the program, participants demonstrated behaviors at the highest level ( = 4.67, SD = 0.46). The mean post-program self-care behavior score was significantly higher than the pre-program score (p = .002).