Effectiveness of Theory of Planned Behavior-Based Educational Intervention on Newborn Care in Pregnant Mothers: A Quasi-experimental Study

Abstract

Background: The neonatal period is one of the most sensitive stages of life, requiring proper understanding and attentive care. Objectives: Accordingly, this study was done to investigate the effectiveness of theory of planned behavior (TPB)-based educational intervention on newborn care in pregnant mothers. Methods: This study was conducted as quasi-experimental research on 100 pregnant mothers who were assigned randomly to two groups of intervention (N = 50) and control (N = 50). The data collection tool was a valid and reliable questionnaire based on TPB, which was completed by both groups before the intervention. Considering the effective constructs of this theory, the educational intervention was performed in the form of four 60-minute education sessions in one month for the intervention group. One month after delivery, the data were recollected from both groups and analyzed using statistical tests. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the mothers’ age in both intervention and control groups were 26.14 ± 4.7 and 26.10 ± 5.19 years, respectively (P = 0.48). Before the educational intervention, the behavioral intention of the intervention group was 3.33 (out of 5), which significantly increased to 4.54 after the educational intervention (P < 0.001). Also, the performance of mothers regarding neonatal care in the intervention group increased from 2.86 to 4.64 (P = 0.001) after the education. Conclusions: The TPB-based educational intervention, along with active follow-ups, led to better and more principled behavioral intention and care provided by pregnant mothers to their newborn infants. Therefore, providing TPB-based education in other healthcare centers is recommended.