The effect of an educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior on childbearing intentions in women: A quasi‑experimental study
نویسندگان
1 Department of Health Education and Promotion, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
2 Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Qazvin University of Medical Science, Qazvin, Iran
3
4 Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
5 Department of Health System Research, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
6 Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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چکیده
BACKGROUND: Childbearing is an important biological and social event in the life of most women. Itis a voluntary behavior that can be affected by many factors. Behavioral theories are a potential pathway to study and influence childbearing behavior. The present study was conducted to determine theeffect of an educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) on childbearingintentions in women presenting to premarital counseling centers in Tehran.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomized controlled quasi‑experimental study was conductedon 150 women aged 20–35 years presenting to premarital counseling centers. The participatingwomen were randomly divided into an intervention (n = 75) and a control (n = 75) group usingrandomized sampling in Excel. The intervention group received two 90‑min sessions of training. Theeffect of training was assessed 6 weeks after the intervention using the researcher‑made questionnairebased on the components of the TPB. The questionnaires included subjects’ demographic details,knowledge (11 items), attitude (13 items), subjective norms (10 items), perceived behavioral control (8items), and behavioral intention (4 items). Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 22) andindependent t‑test, Chi‑square, Mann–Whitney U‑test, and Wilcoxon test. P <0.05 was consideredstatistically significant.RESULTS: There were significant differences between the intervention and control group afterthe intervention in the Mean ± SD scores of knowledge (6.73 ± 2.63 vs. 4.73 ± 2.85, P = 0.001),attitude (48.23 ± 7.19 vs. 40.13 ± 5.80, P = 0.001), perceived behavioral control (33.19 ± 5.28 vs.23.59 ± 3.47, P = 0.001), and behavioral intention (13.84 ± 2.95 vs. 11.77 ± 2.12, P = 0.027).CONCLUSION: The findings showed that an education based on the TPB increased women’schildbearing intentions by affecting their knowledge, attitude, perceived behavioral control, andintention. It is therefore essential to implement better public policies, create a more conduciveeducational setting for women of different age groups, and build a social support system.
