Becoming a Mom: Improving Birth Outcomes through a Community Collaborative Prenatal Education Model

Abstract

Purpose: Maternal/infant health outcome disparities continue to exist within the United States despite years of research and intervention. The need for collaborative community-based efforts was identified as an important strategy to improve birth outcomes. Objective: Evaluate the impact of a group prenatal education curriculum at increasing maternal health knowledge and decreasing negative maternal/infant health outcomes. Methods: Pregnant women were referred to the program by community obstetric providers. The group prenatal education program was delivered by the local health department through a series of six classes to groups of women with varied due dates. Participants completed pre and post knowledge assessments and health outcome data was abstracted from medical records. Results: The majority of participants (N=103) were Caucasian (n=83, 83%), English speaking (n=89, 86%), 21-30 years of age (n=71, 71%). Participants significantly increased knowledge in topics of preterm labor (85% vs. 95%, p<.0001), postpartum symptoms (80% vs. 89%, p<.0001), and safe sleep (84% vs. 99%, p=.0003). Participants used tobacco at a lower rate during pregnancy than regional comparisons (8% vs. 20%, p<.05). Conclusion: This study increased the number of pregnant women attending group prenatal education classes and was associated with positive knowledge and health outcomes. The program was offered as a compliment to existing prenatal care services, suggesting the collaboration resulted in a better utilization of existing community resources.