Abstract
This article describes the results from a qualitative formative evaluation of postnatal education efforts in a Los Angeles Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. The evaluation was conducted at 10 WIC clinics where 15 focus group interviews were held. In addition, educational materials used for postnatal clients were analyzed for content. McGuire's information processing model was used to compare content of materials with comprehension, retention, and yielding of the WIC participants. Our findings revealed that (1) complex and technical messages were not adequately processed by clients; (2) significantly fewer messages were retained than were delivered; (3) regardless of the high volume of message delivery, clients tended to retain approximately four key messages from each session; and (4) there appeared to be little difference in retention between informational, behavioral, and attitudinal messages. Based on our findings, we conclude that in order to attain optimal retention, the message structure of educational sessions should contain fewer and less complex messages.
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