Abstract
People of reproductive age have unmet needs related to deficiencies in fertility literacy. Here, we aimed to investigate whether providing fertility-related information via a smartphone application could improve fertility treatment-related literacy in participants. We performed a randomized control-group pretest posttest study and recruited participants between June 18 and 25, 2020. Participants’ fertility treatment-related literacy was assessed with a pretest that comprised of 28 questions and participants were allocated with stratified randomization to either intervention group or control group. The intervention comprised a one-week smartphone application-based provision of information on fertility-related information and the control group received general information about women’s healthcare. Effectiveness of intervention was assessed using a posttest. A total of 4137 participants were administered the questionnaire and pretest, among which 3765 participants (91.0 %) responded and were randomly allocated into either the intervention group (N = 1883) or the control group (N = 1882). A significantly higher posttest mean score was observed for the intervention group compared to the control group (P = 0.0017). We also observed that posttest scores were significantly improved compared to pretest scores in both the intervention and control group (P < 0.001). When examining by specific test question, the proportion answering correctly increased at posttest compared to pretest for both intervention and control groups (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the intervention group showed a greater mean difference between posttest and pretest scores than the control group (P < 0.001). In conclusion, educational intervention using a smartphone application contributed to enhancing fertility treatment-related literacy.
Highlights
Infertility is defined as a failure to conceive after 12 months of regular and unprotected sexual intercourse, and is estimated to affect 8–12% of couples of reproductive age worldwide[1]
Comparing the difference in posttest versus pretest scores between the two groups showed, on average, greater improvements in the intervention group than the control group (P < 0.001) (Fig. 2d). These findings suggest that provision of fertility treatmentrelated information via the smartphone application may contributed to enhancement of fertility literacy
As a primary finding of this study, we found that fertility- and treatment-related information provided via a smartphone application contributed to enhancing fertility literacy
Summary
Infertility is defined as a failure to conceive after 12 months of regular and unprotected sexual intercourse, and is estimated to affect 8–12% of couples of reproductive age worldwide[1]. It has been estimated that 56% of couples have sought medical care including fertilityrelated issues and treatment[2], which is believed to be an underestimate of the overall population that experiences infertility challenges. In such contexts, Japan is recognized as one of the most active countries in reproductive medicine globally[3], where nationwide surveys have shown that 1 in 5.5 couples of reproductive age had undergone fertility treatment Treatments available for couples experiencing infertility issues include ovulation induction with timed intercourse, artificial insemination with husband (AIH), in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection[4]. Mature oocytes are retrieved directly from the ovary for fertilization in an IVF protocol
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
