Comparison of Effects of WhatsApp-Based and Pamphlet-based Learning on the Awareness, Attitude, and Self-Efficacy of Pregnant Women about Urinary Tract Infections During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: Online and social network-based training and clinical interventions during pregnancy and immediately after pregnancy can be beneficial for women, empowering them in their role as a mother. Nowadays, due to the spread of the COVID-19 accompanied by a reduction in the number of referrals for maternity care, there has been a higher incidence of urinary infections among the pregnant women. Taking these into account, the present study aims to shed light on the effect of the WhatsApp-based learning on awareness, attitude, and self-efficacy in relation to UTIs among pregnant women compared to the pamphlet-based learning.Material and Methods: This semi-experimental study was conducted on 96 pregnant women at 30 weeks and less than 30 weeks of pregnancy who referred to the government Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics in Isfahan city in 2021. The participants were simple randomly assigned to one of three independent groups, namely two intervention groups and one control group. Intervention took 6 weeks and the data were collected both before and after the intervention using a standardized questionnaire. SPSS software V21.0 and non-parametric statistical tests, including Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney were used for data analysis.Results: The results showed that the mean score of the awareness before and after intervention increased from 11 to 26 and from 11 to 15 (X2=36.00, p<0.001) in the WhatsApp-based and the pamphlet-based learning group, respectively. Furthermore, the mean score of the attitude before and after intervention increased from 54 to 82 in the WhatsApp-based and from 53 to 58 (X2=60.00, p<0.001) in the pamphlet-based learning group. For self-efficacy, the mean score before and after intervention changed from 47 to 71 in WhatsApp-based and from 46 to 51 (X2=62.00, p<0.001) in the pamphlet-based learning group. In the control group, there is no difference in the mean score of the awareness, attitude and self-efficacy before and after the intervention.Conclusion: Online training and clinical interventions during pregnancy can be beneficial for women. In fact, sharing health information among pregnant women through social networks is related to better pregnancy management. It also increased their awareness, attitude and self-efficacy.