Effect of health education on knowledge, attitudes, and practice of pregnant women in reducing elective cesarean delivery rate

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of education on knowledge, and attitudes, and practice of pregnant women in order to decrease tendency to elective cesarean delivery. This study conducted on 160 nulliparous Iranian pregnant women who referred to the health and wellness centers. The participants were randomly divided into the experimental and control groups. The data were collected through administering questionnaires, holding interviews and referring to the health records. The experimental group was educated about cesarean section and vaginal delivery through group meetings, face to face education, playing videos, and distributing pamphlets whereas the control group received routine cares. One month after intervention, the level of knowledge and attitudes was again measured along with the level of practice performance of two groups in choosing cesarean or vaginal delivery for childbirth. The findings of the study showed that before the intervention, there was not a significant difference in knowledge and attitudes between two groups. After training, however, the experimental group showed a significantly more knowledge and attitudes towards the vaginal delivery. There was also a significant difference between two groups with respect to practice (kind of delivery) as the cesarean section reduced about 15% in the experimental group compared to the control group. This study showed that training can enhance the level of knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women, leading to the less likelihood of having cesarean without a medical reason.