A preconception care program for women in a college setting

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Women's Health
• Health Education

Background:

• Preconception healthcare is crucial for positive pregnancy outcomes, yet often neglected before conception.
• Unplanned pregnancies affect fetal development before prenatal care begins, posing risks, especially for young women engaging in risky behaviors.
• Formal preconception health education is not widely implemented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a peer education program focused on preconception health for college women.
• To establish a foundation for expanding preconception health initiatives to broader populations.
• To assess the program's impact on participants' knowledge of preconception health risks and reproductive life planning.

Main Methods:

• A peer education program was delivered by nursing students to over 100 college women.
• The REFRAMED PLUS mnemonic was used to cover eight key preconception risk areas and reproductive life planning.
• Program materials included a brochure, risk assessment tool, DVD, and Reproductive Life Plan book; pre/posttests measured knowledge.

Main Results:

• The risk assessment identified several preconception health risks among young women.
• Posttest scores demonstrated a significant increase in participants' knowledge of preconception health.
• The program successfully engaged young women in discussing reproductive health and planning.

Conclusions:

• Peer education is an effective strategy for delivering preconception health information to young women.
• Integrating preconception risk assessments, education, and counseling into routine healthcare is essential for nurses.
• Expanding peer education models can enhance preconception health awareness across diverse populations of women of childbearing age.