An Evaluation of an Urban Health Department's Prenatal Education Program

This study evaluated the impact of a prenatal patient education program on the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women receiving care from an urban health department clinic. The evaluation was undertaken to determine whether attendance at prenatal classes was related to either higher levels of pregnancy-specific knowledge or more favorable attitudes toward childbearing and child rearing. Data were collected from 139 nulliparous and primiparous women; 43 percent had not attended any classes and served as a comparison group. Analyses were performed within strata formed by stage of pregnancy and levels of parity, as well as for the sample as a whole. Despite high levels of satisfaction with the instruction, class attendance and knowledge were not related for nulliparous women or among those in the early stages of pregnancy. However, class attenders in the third trimester (p < .05) or who had already given birth (p < .02) had significantly higher knowledge scores. With the exception of an indirect relationship between classes and the intention to breastfeed, no difference in attitudes was found. It would appear that prenatal patients at different points in their pregnancy may differ in their level of knowledge, possibly as a result of variability in their motivation to learn, without differing in their attitudes toward child rearing. Multiple methods and an individualized approach to prenatal education are therefore recommended. Suggestions for program changes based on general principles of health education are presented.