Prenatal education outcomes for pregnant adolescents and their infants using trained volunteers

This study evaluated the effects of lessons taught by trained nonprofessional volunteers in community prenatal clinics. Project participants (n = 210) and comparison subjects (n = 189) were pregnant women, aged 18 years or younger. Participants were divided according to those who attended eight or more lessons (high treatment, n = 94) and those who attended fewer lessons (n = 116). A system of rewards for attendance was used. The number of prenatal visits was significantly different between the three groups (p less than 0.001), with the high-treatment participants having a significantly greater number of visits than the other groups. The groups differed on gestational age at delivery (p less than 0.006), favoring the infants of high-treatment participants; however, only 8% of gestational age variance was attributable to prenatal visits. A significantly greater proportion of high-treatment participants returned for postpartum care (p less than 0.011 vs. low-treatment participants, p less than 0.002 vs. comparison subjects). Postpartum return was not improved by a hospital visit by a volunteer. Regardless of treatment, most (99%) accepted a contraceptive method at their postpartum visit. The groups did not differ on their return for method check at 3 months. However, a significantly greater proportion of the high-treatment participants returned for an annual family planning evaluation (p less than 0.015 vs. low-treatment participants, p less than 0.005 vs. comparison subjects). Both the high- and low-treatment participants differed significantly from the comparison subjects on having taken their infants for at least one well-child visit during the first year (p less than 0.001 for both tests).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)