Effects of Health Education Programs on the Health of Rural Pregnant Women in China

Effects of Health Education Programs on Maternal Health Literacy, Health-promoting Behaviors and Empowerment of Rural Pregnant Women in China

The aim of this study is to design, introduce, conduct, and evaluate health education programs to improve maternal health literacy, health-promoting behaviors, and empowerment of pregnant women in China.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Health Literacy
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: health education; Behavioral: individual counsel

Detailed Description

After being informed about the study and potential risks, the quasi-experimental study will be conducted. All the pregnant women who meet the inclusion criteria will be marked as numbers in the first inspection time of the second trimester. And then the odd number will be assigned to an intervention group, while the even number will be distributed to the control group which ensures that they have an equal chance of receiving the intervention.The interventions of the control group will receive the routine health education proposed by relevant experts in China which are chosen by the Chinse Medical Association. The interventions of the intervention group will receive routine health education and individual counsel on health-promoting behaviours based on the health promotion model .

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 105
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Malaysia
  • None Selected
    • Kuala Lumpur, None Selected, Malaysia, 50603
      • Faculty of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Adult pregnant women;
2. Basic reading and comprehension skills;
3. Can use WeChat app;
4. Can complete all evaluations;
5. Willing to receive guidance and change.
6. The home address shown on the identification card is in a rural area.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Threatened abortion;
2. Premature rupture of membranes;
3. Serious complication;
4. Be absent from health education more than 2 times;
5. Have psychic or mental problems.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: control group; The interventions of the control group will receive the routine health education proposed by relevant experts in China which are chosen by the Chinese Medical Association.	Other: health education; The health education program will be conducted on the WeChat platform. The contents of health education include 1) knowledge about how to prevent anemia during pregnancy; 2) self-care education videos such as breastfeeding; 3) online courses on how to manage weight during pregnancy, and how to keep good emotions, etc.; 4) Nutrition and lifestyle guidance; 5) knowledge about recognition and prevention of risk factors or diseases: abortion, toxic substances, premature birth. The contents of health education will be totally shared 5 times from 12 weeks to 36 weeks in the pregnancy and once a month on the platform. Every participant should reply "read" after learning the contents. if they have any questions, they can reply for "help" for further connection with health professionals.
Experimental: intervention group; The interventions of the intervention group will include routine health education. And then the participants will have individual counsel about health-promoting behaviors with a midwife and a doctor. The counseling will be based on the procedure of the health promotion model.	Behavioral: individual counsel; The participants will receive the same health education as the control group. The pregnant women will have one routine checkup a month from 12 weeks to 36 weeks in the hospital. And they will receive counseling with a midwife and a doctor after every routine checkup. The counseling will have a total of 5 times and once a month, 45 minutes per time. The professionals will evaluate health-promoting behaviors such as nutrition and physical activity based on the procedure of the health promotion model. The model includes four continued parts: prior behaviors; personal influences; interpersonal Influences; commitment to a plan of action. Finally, the professionals will give person-centered advice to help the participants practice the content of health education, keep health-promoting behaviors, and achieve a healthy lifestyle.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from Baseline scores of maternal health literacy at 3 months and 5 months	The health literacy scale for perinatal pregnant women was used to measure the level of maternal health literacy among Chinese pregnant women.It consists of 55 items accompanied by a 5-point Likert scale. The option of forward scoring items ranges from 5= strongly agree, 4 = agree, 3= uncertain, 2 = not agree, and 1 = strongly not agree. The option of reversed rescoring items ranges from 1= strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3= uncertain, 4 = not agree, and 5 = strongly not agree. The score is collected by calculating the participant's responses that form the total score from 51 to 255. The eligibility criteria were the ratio of personal score over total score is over 80% (204 points) .Based on the previous studies, the outcomes of similar interventions were tested before the first implementation of the intervention, at three months, and at the end of the intervention.	The changes in the scores will be evaluated before the first month (6 to 13+6 weeks), after 3 months (25 to 28 weeks), and 5 months (33 to 36 weeks) of the intervention.
Change from Baseline scores of health-promoting behaviors at 3 months and 5 months	Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II) was widely chosen to evaluate the health behaviors of pregnant women. The Chinese version of HPLP-II was formed with 40 items with scores ranging from 1 to 4. The total scores range from 40 to 160. The higher scores , the better health-promoting behaviors.Based on the previous studies, the outcomes of similar interventions were tested before the first implementation of the intervention, at three months, and at the end of the intervention.	The changes in the scores will be evaluated before the first month (6 to 13+6 weeks), after 3 months (25 to 28 weeks), and 5 months (33 to 36 weeks) of the intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from Baseline scores of empowerment at 3 months and 5 months	The Empowerment Scale for Pregnant Women was used to evaluate the empowerment of pregnant women. This scale consists of 27 items with scores ranging from 1 to 4. The total scores range from 27 to 108. The higher scores, the better empowerment. Based on the previous studies, the outcomes of similar interventions were tested before the first implementation of the intervention, at three months, and at the end of the intervention.	The changes in the scores will be evaluated before the first month (6 to 13+6 weeks), after 3 months (25 to 28 weeks), and 5 months (33 to 36 weeks) of the intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Malaya
• Investigators: Study Chair: Mei Chan Chong, Dr., univerisiti malaya; Principal Investigator: Yanjia Liu, Dr., universiti malaya

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 30, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): May 6, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 28, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 13, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): March 27, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 9, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 7, 2024
• Last Verified: May 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: health literacy
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20230228

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No