The Birth Education Starts Today Video on Birth Care Options: Evaluation With University Students

Despite evidence indicating that midwife-attended birth is safe and satisfactory, few U.S. families have credentialed midwives as their birth care providers. In the context of person-centered health care and improving maternity care, we evaluated how an author-constructed video featuring evidence and personal narratives on midwifery care affected attitudes and care preferences/intentions for a hypothetical future birth among university students who had not become parents. Students (114 women, 30 men) completed care attitude and preference items before and after viewing the video. Significant (p < .001) changes indicated significantly improved attitudes toward midwives and out-of-hospital birth and related preferences. We discuss the educational framework of the video and plans to determine whether short-term effects translate into care-seeking behavior across diverse populations.