The Effect of Peer Education on Pregnant Women's Choosing Mode of Delivery

Background & aim: Women's choice on the type of delivery mode is an important event in every pregnant women’s lifetime. Proper education is one of the most important factors that can help women to choose the delivery type. In this regard, one of the educational methods is peer education. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of peer education on the choice of delivery mode. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 160 primiparous women at 34-36 week of gestation without indications of cesarean section section. The participants were selected from the health centers in Mashhad, Iran, during 2017 and randomly assigned into two groups of peer education and control group. In total, 10 participants were selected as peers and trained by a researcher. Then the peers were asked to train participants in eight-person groups, and the control group received routine care. A self-structured questionnaire was used to collect data in relation to mode of delivery. Moreover, the data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 19) using the independent t-test and Chi-square test. Results: There were no differences between the groups regarding the intention to choose the delivery methods before the intervention (P=0.73). However, the obtained results revealed higher levels of intention to choose vaginal delivery in the intervention group, compared to that in the control group (P<0.001). Conclusion: The participants who were subjected to peer education acquired higher levels of intention to choose vaginal delivery.