Abstract
BackgroundMaternal behavior before and after conception affects maternal and child health. Limited awareness of adolescents in preconception health may be addressed through school education. The aim of this intervention is to assess preconception health awareness among adolescents in Lebanese high schools and to test the effectiveness of a one-time educational session in improving preconception knowledge.MethodsThe intervention consisted of a 30-minute educational session about good practices in preconception health, developed by the National Collaborative Perinatal Neonatal Network’s (NCPNN) research team. A convenience sample of high school Lebanese students in grades 10 to 12, aged 14 to 26 years old, from 70 private and public schools in all six Lebanese provinces, participated in the intervention in 2011 and 2012. A multiple-choice questionnaire administered prior to and 2 months after the session was used to assess knowledge improvement among the students.ResultsA total of 7,290 students were enrolled. After the session, mean scores of correct answers increased from 4.36 to 6.42 out of 10, representing a 47.2% improvement (p < 0.001). The percent of correct answers increased for all the questions regarding health practices (p < 0.001). The greatest improvement was observed for questions about Trisomy 21, folic acid intake and toxoplasmosis with percentages improvement of 96%, 172% and 83% respectively. Being female or in private school was a significant predictor of higher scores in both pre-test and post-test (p < 0.001).ConclusionsAwareness campaigns in schools increased the preconception health knowledge among high school students. We recommend expanding the scope of this intervention into universities in Lebanon.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-774) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Maternal behavior before and after conception affects maternal and child health
In a national survey of married Lebanese women aged 18 to 45 years, Nasr et al found that 40% of the participants had not heard about pre-pregnancy folic acid and its prevention of neural tube defects (NTD) [13]
The purpose of this paper is to present the experience of a preconception health education intervention conducted in high schools in Lebanon, and to demonstrate the impact of such a program in improving knowledge of benefits of preconception health
Summary
Limited awareness of adolescents in preconception health may be addressed through school education. Many women enter pregnancy in poor health with untreated preexisting conditions or without awareness of healthy behaviors, such as taking a daily folic acid supplement, avoiding exposure to tobacco and other teratogenic agents. Preconception health care involves the provision of health care to women and men during their reproductive years [6] and offering evidence-based interventions to reduce adverse outcomes in future pregnancies [7,8]. Adolescence is a important point in the reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) continuum to promote preconception health [9]. Educating young women about healthy lifestyles empowers them as individuals in their own right, and it can result in healthier maternal and newborn outcomes should they become pregnant [10,11,12]. Tamim et al showed a low prevalence (14%) of preconception folic acid intake among 5,280 Lebanese pregnant women [14]
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