The effect of facility-based nutrition education and counseling on dietary intake and supplemental iron folic acid use among pregnant women: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Pregnant women in rural areas like Lubuk Alung often face barriers to accessing quality health information and care, leading to suboptimal health behaviors during pregnancy. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a community-based health education intervention on pregnant women's knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding healthy behaviors in Lubuk Alung. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 150 pregnant women (75 intervention, 75 control) in Lubuk Alung. The intervention group received a 12-week program of structured health education sessions delivered by trained community health workers. Sessions covered topics such as nutrition, exercise, antenatal care, childbirth preparation, and breastfeeding. The control group received standard antenatal care. Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices related to healthy behaviors. The intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge about healthy behaviors (p<0.001), more positive attitudes towards these behaviors (p<0.01), and increased adoption of practices like consuming a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity, attending antenatal care visits, and exclusive breastfeeding (p<0.05). The control group showed minimal changes. In conclusion, community-based health education interventions are effective in empowering pregnant women in rural settings. They increase knowledge, shift attitudes, and promote the adoption of healthy behaviors during pregnancy. Such programs should be integrated into routine antenatal care services in areas like Lubuk Alung.

Background: The problem that occurs at the Banyubiru Health Center, Semarang Regency is that there are still pregnant women who do not fully know about Antenatal care, which affects the ANC coverage that has not been achieved at the Banyubiru Health Center, namely in July and August 2021 as many as 632 pregnant women target with an achievement target in July K1 58, 3%, K4 58.3% and K6 58.3%. In July there were 335 targets for pregnant women with achievements in K1 53%, K4 50.6% and K6 42.1%, and in August there were 388 targets for pregnant women with K1 66.6, K4 66.6%, and K6 66.6%. In August, the performance in K1 was 61.4%, K4 58.4% and K6 22.3%. The impact of not doing antenatal care checks will increase pregnant women with high risk due to lack of initial screening for screening pregnancy risks Research Objectives: To describe the level of knowledge of pregnant women about the meaning, purpose, benefits, service standards, and schedule of antenatal care visits. Methods: This study uses a quantitative descriptive research design, the number of samples is 35 respondents using a sampling technique using Simple Random Sampling with Stratified Random Sampling. The research instrument uses a questionnaire. Results: The results showed that the knowledge of pregnant women about antenatal care at the Banyubiru Health Center, Semarang Regency, was included in the sufficient category of 48.6%, with good knowledge of 25.7% and 25.7% with less knowledge. Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the knowledge of pregnant women about the definition of antenatal care is good as much as 77.1%. The majority of pregnant women's knowledge about the purpose of antenatal care is 51.4%. The majority of pregnant women's knowledge about the benefits of antenatal care is 57.1%. The majority of pregnant women's knowledge about antenatal care service standards is 42.9%. The majority of pregnant women's knowledge about antenatal care visits is 80% less.

Introduction: Knowledge of Antenatal Care (ANC) is crucial for the health of pregnant women and their unborn children. Objectives: This study compares the effectiveness of counselling alone versus a combination of counselling and video education on pregnant women's knowledge of integrated ANC at Puskesmas Sekardangan Sidoarjo. Methods: Using a quasi-experimental design with two post-tests only groups, 40 pregnant women were divided into two groups of 20. The control group received counselling, while the intervention group received both counselling and educational videos on ANC. ANC knowledge questionnaires were completed post-intervention and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test. Results: Results indicated that 65% of the control group had poor knowledge levels, compared to 45% of the intervention group with good knowledge levels. There was a significant increase in knowledge in both groups, with a Z count of -3.525 and a significance value of ρ = 0.000, showing a significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: The study concludes that combining educational videos with counselling is more effective in enhancing pregnant women's knowledge about ANC than counselling alone. Health facilities are recommended to integrate educational videos into ANC counselling programs, with further research needed to explore technology in health education.

The United States Public Health Service recommends that all women of reproductive age consume 400 μg of folic acid daily to prevent major neural tube defects. Hispanics have the highest prevalence of neural tube defects compared with other race/ethnic groups. We studied prevalence of preconception folic acid supplement use, and its association with race/ethnicity among pregnant women in Georgia. Using state-wide population-based data from 2009 to 2011 Georgia Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, we examined the prevalence of preconception folic acid supplement use among pregnant women aged 18 to 45 years. We conducted multivariable logistic regression and estimated adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals to examine the association between race/ethnicity and supplemental folic acid use among study participants. Overall, 25% of all participants reported taking folic acid supplements daily before conception. Only 21% of Hispanic women reported preconception folic acid supplement use. Hispanic women were twice as likely to not take folic acid supplements (adjusted odds ratio = 2.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-3.40) compared with non-Hispanic whites, after controlling for maternal age, parity, pregnancy intention, knowledge that folic acid prevents birth defects, and preconception smoking and exercise. Hispanics are a growing population in the United States with an expected 14 million women of child-bearing age by 2020, and the prevalence of preconception folic acid supplement use is low in this group with a high risk of neural tube defects. Promotion of voluntarily fortified corn masa flour can lower neural tube defects in Hispanics. Mandatory corn masa fortification will be a more effective public health policy.Birth Defects Research 109:38-48, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Pregnant women's knowledge, attitude, and practice toward physical exercise during pregnancy and its associated factors at Dessie town health institutions, Ethiopia

Background: Good oral health of pregnant women is important for their own health and the health of the fetus and can reduce the risk of complications in pregnancy. The development of early childhood caries is associated with the transfer of bacteria from the mother's oral cavity, and there is a need to promote oral health during pregnancy and the perinatal period. Aim: This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate attitudes and knowledge regarding oral health and infant oral health among pregnant women. Materials and methods: The study involved 130 pregnant women in the Republic of North Macedonia who completed an anonymous online questionnaire (Google Forms) from January to June 2022. The questionnaire was divided into three parts. The first part contained questions about the general demographic data of the respondents and their own experience with oral health in pregnancy. The second part was related to the knowledge of the relationship between oral health and pregnancy. The third section consisted of questions related to knowledge about the oral health of children at the earliest age. The results were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Results: The study involved 130 pregnant 19 to 42-year-old women. The women are most informed about oral health in pregnancy from their dentists (30.8 %), but least from doctors of family medicine (3.1%). In pregnancy, gingival bleeding was observed by 60.8 % of respondents, and tooth mobility by 22.3 %. The chi-square test found that there was a difference in attitude regarding the age at which they should stop breastfeeding between respondents who had their first pregnancy and those who already had children (Chi-square value =13.216, p = 0.004, p < 0.05). Only 20.5 % of respondents are aware that breastfeeding can cause tooth decay. Linear regression analysis showed that pregnant women's knowledge about the association between pregnancy and periodontal diseases is statistically significantly positively associated with their gynecologist's advice to visit a dentist (β = 1.282, p ≤ 0.001). In addition, pregnant women's knowledge about children's oral health is statistically significantly negatively associated with women already having children (β = -0.693, p = 0.043). Conclusion: Pregnant women in the Republic of North Macedonia do not have sufficient knowledge, and they are neither aware of the importance of oral health during pregnancy nor infant oral health.

Background: Stunting is the most common form of child malnutrition in millions of children in Indonesia, around 37% and one of the highest proportions of stunting is found in West Nusa Tenggara. Breastfeeding counseling during antenatal care (ANC) can encourage early breastfeeding. Still, counseling is not generally done even though the stage I and stage IV of normal labor, coverage exceeds the target and only one-fifth of the midwives provide complete and correct ANC services for the ten-step component service. The study aims to evaluate model of integrated antenatal care services with breastfeeding counseling practices to increase pregnant women's knowledge, skills and readiness to breastfeed Methods: Pregnant women from Kuripan Primary health care were selected randomly. This study compared two study groups, namely the intervention and control group of third-trimester pregnant women who were given integrated ANC and breastfeeding counseling compared to conventional ANC. Both groups were assessed for the knowledge, skills, and readiness of exclusive breastfeeding mothers before and after counseling. Chi-square test were used to compare readiness, knowledge, and breastfeeding practice before and after intervention in the study group. Results: The provision of integrated ANC and breastfeeding counseling in this study show a difference between knowledge before and after treatment with a p-value = 0.002 (p<0.05). There was a difference between the practice of breastfeeding before and after the treatment with p-value = 0.003 (p<0.05) and in the integrated antenatal care breastfeeding counseling treatment group it showed that there was a difference in readiness for exclusive breastfeeding before (p = 0.005) (p<0.05) and after being given treatment with p-value = 0.001 (p<0.05). Conclusions: Integrated antenatal care and breastfeeding counseling have shown differences in increased knowledge, exclusive breastfeeding practices and readiness for breastfeeding.

Birth defects (BDs) are structural, behavioral, functional, and metabolic disorders present at birth. Due to lack of knowledge, families and communities stigmatized pregnant women following the birth of a child with birth defects. In Ethiopia, there was limited evidence to assess the level of knowledge among pregnant women despite increasing magnitude of birth defects. This study aims to assess pregnant women's knowledge of birth defects and its associated factors among antenatal care (ANC) attendees in referral hospitals of Amhara regional state in 2019. Between 1 June and 30 June 2019, 636 pregnant women receiving prenatal care participated in an institution-based cross-sectional study. The approach for sampling was multistage. A semi-structured pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were entered in EpiData version 4.6 and analyzed using SPSS version 25 software. A bivariable and multivariable logistic regression model was used. Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and p-value of ≤0.05 declared statistical significance association. A total of 636 pregnant women were included in the analysis. Accordingly, pregnant women's knowledge of birth defects was found to be 49.2% (95% CI: 45.4-53.1). Age group of <25 years (AOR = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.04-0.61), urban residence (AOR = 6.06, 95% CI: 2.17-16.94), ANC booked before 20 weeks of gestational age (AOR = 3.42, 95% CI: 1.37-8.54), and ever heard on birth defects (AOR = 5.00, 95% CI: 1.87-13.43) were significantly associated factors with pregnant women's knowledge of birth defects. Approximately half of the pregnant mothers were aware of birth defects. Addressing pre-pregnancy and pregnancy health information and education particularly on the prevention of birth defects is recommended.

Background: Good oral health during pregnancy can not only improve the health of pregnant women but also potentially the health of newborn. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of nursing intervention on oral health knowledge, attitude, and health behaviors among pregnant women. Design: A quasi-experimental design was utilized. Sample: A purposive sample of 188 pregnant women was recruited according to inclusion criteria. The sample was allocated to study and control groups (94 women in each group). Setting: The study was conducted at obstetric s and gynecology outpatient clinic affiliated to Benha University Hospital. Tools of data collection: 1) a structured interviewing questionnaire which consisted of three parts; demographic characteristics, obstetric history, and pregnant women's knowledge regarding oral health. 2) Pregnant women's attitude towards oral health questionnaire. 3) Pregnant women's oral health behaviors sheet. Results: The majority of both groups had poor knowledge and negative attitude regarding oral health. In addition, there were no significant differences in health behaviors scores between both groups (P ˃ 0.05) before intervention. However, one month after intervention, 84.0% of the study group had good knowledge compared with 0.0% of the control group, 78.7% of the study group had positive attitude and only 6.4% of the control group. The health behaviors scores were significantly higher in the study group than the control (P<0.001). Conclusion: There is positive effect of nursing intervention in improving the pregnant women's knowledge, attitude as well as health behaviors regarding oral health. Recommendations: Provision of oral health education for pregnant women during antenatal care in order to highlight the importance of good oral health.

Pregnant women's knowledge and awareness of nutrition

Knowledge is the result of knowing, which occurs after a person perceives an object. Attitude refers to views, opinions, or feelings toward a specific object, person, or event. Antenatal care (ANC) refers to pregnancy check-ups and is defined as prenatal monitoring, primarily aimed at the growth and development of the fetus in the womb. Based on field observations, the researcher found that pregnant women who rarely or do not attend ANC visits often experience complications during pregnancy, postpartum complications, babies born with low birth weight (LBW), preterm births, and pregnant women only seek healthcare services when problems arise in their pregnancy. Additionally, there are still pregnant women who deliver with the assistance of traditional birth attendants or midwives in the village. This study aims to determine the relationship between pregnant women's knowledge and attitudes with ANC visits in the working area of Bapinang Health Center. Research Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design. The instrument used was a questionnaire, and the data were analyzed using the Chi-Square statistical test, with 34 pregnant women as respondents. Results: The study found a significant relationship between pregnant women's knowledge and ANC visits with a p-value of 0.001 &lt; 0.05, meaning that H1 is accepted. It can be concluded that there is a relationship between knowledge and ANC visits in the working area of Bapinang Health Center. Similarly, the attitude variable had a p-value of 0.004 &lt; 0.05, so H2 is accepted. It can be concluded that there is a relationship between pregnant women's attitudes and ANC visits in the working area of Bapinang Health Center. Conclusion: This study concludes that there is a relationship between pregnant women's knowledge and attitudes with ANC visits in the working area of Bapinang Health Center.

The effect of health education on second-hand smoke knowledge and exposure among pregnant women in Jordan: A quasi-experimental study

The triple elimination program aims to prevent the vertical transmission of HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis in newborns. However, the effectiveness of educational efforts for pregnant women remains a challenge. The Triple Elimination Flip chart was developed as an interactive educational tool, expected to be more effective than leaflets in improving pregnant women’s knowledge, attitudes, and preventive actions regarding triple elimination screening. This study employed a randomized pretest-posttest control group design with purposive sampling. Participants were divided into two groups: an intervention group that received education using LeB3E and a control group that received a leaflet. Measurements were taken before and after the intervention using a questionnaire assessing knowledge, attitudes, and actions, and the data were analyzed using paired sample t-tests in SPSS. The results showed that LeB3E was more effective than leaflets in enhancing pregnant women’s knowledge, attitudes, and preventive actions regarding triple elimination screening. The intervention group demonstrated a significantly greater improvement compared to the control group. The Triple Elimination Flip chart has proven to be a more effective educational tool than leaflets in increasing pregnant women's knowledge, attitudes, and actions towards triple elimination screening. Integrating LeB3E into antenatal care services is recommended as an educational strategy to support efforts in preventing the vertical transmission of HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis.

COVID-19 infection endangers pregnant women and newborns. Infection prevention measures are available and easy to apply, but the problem is the application continuity. Empowering pregnant women to increase their intention for self-protection is very important. This study explores the effect of educational intervention based on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) on pregnant women's knowledge and self-protection regarding COVID-19. A randomized, controlled trial was conducted at the Obstetrics and Gynecology outpatient clinic at El Shatby Hospital, Alexandria governorate/Egypt, from November 2020 to May 2021. The study included a convenient sample of 163 pregnant women using the randomization block technique. A self-reported questionnaire was used for data collection. For the intervention group, the PMT-based education included need assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Two months later, a reevaluation was done. ANCOVA showed a significant improvement in the intervention group's knowledge (F1 = 8.56, p < 0.001) when taking the pretest as a reference. The effect size shows that 25.8% of the intervention group's knowledge improvement and 58.80% of the difference between the two groups were due to intervention. ANCOVA showed a significant improvement in the intervention group's PMT constructs when taking the pretest or group as a reference (p <0.001). The effect size shows that 56.10% of the intervention group's total PMT constructs improvement and 89.60% of the differences between the two groups were due to the intervention. PMT-based intervention is effective in improving pregnant women's knowledge and self-protection intention regarding COVID-19. PMT is recommended to tailor educational intervention for pregnant women.

The need for reducing maternal mortality has become a paramount concern in developing countries including Indonesia. One of the strategies for reducing maternal mortality in Indonesia is the provision of antenatal care (ANC). Previous studies have reported the advantages and disadvantages of ANC. The purpose of this study is to ascertain if a new approach to ANC can improve pregnant women's knowledge of its benefits. An experimental design with 60 pregnant women from 10 cluster villages is used in this study. The intervention group received the new approach to ANC, while the control group received routine ANC. The findings show that the improvement of knowledge in the intervention group is significant particularly in the knowledge about healthy pregnancy (p=0.012), pregnancy complications (p=0.01), safe birth (p=0.01) and taking care of the newborn (p=0.012). The improvement of knowledge was significantly influenced by the respondents' educational back ground (p=0.002) and socio-economic status (p=0.027). This study recommends that the new approach to ANC be considered to educate pregnant women regarding safe birth and it is considered as one of the strategies that may be adopted to reduce maternal mortality.