Improving the knowledge of pregnant women using a pre-eclampsia app: A controlled before and after study

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a pre-eclampsia mobile application on the knowledge of pregnant women.

Methods: Following development of a pre-eclampsia mobile application, we conducted a controlled before and after study during a three-month period in 2018. The study population consisted of pregnant women attended to obstetrician clinics and offices in Kerman, Iran of whom, 110 sample participants were divided into two intervention and control groups. The participants completed a questionnaire of pre-eclampsia knowledge at baseline and 1-month follow up. Data were analyzed using inferential statistics including chi-square, independent sample t-test, paired t-test and linear regression.

Results: A total of 108 pregnant women with an average age of 28 years participated in this study. There was no significant difference between the scores of the two groups before the intervention (p=0.94). Their difference after the intervention was highly significant (p<0.001). The difference between the knowledge of the participants before and after the intervention was significant in the both groups (p<0.05). The results showed that the knowledge score of the participants after the intervention was significantly associated with their group and assessment score before the intervention (p<0.001).

Conclusion: The results showed that the use of a mobile-based educational application improves the knowledge of pregnant women about pre-eclampsia. Increasing women's knowledge about pre-eclampsia may enables them to identify its signs and symptoms, resulting in the early detection and management of this condition, and likely reduction of its adverse consequences.

Trial registration: IRCT2017050633837N1.

Keywords: Education; Educational intervention; Knowledge; Mobile health application; Pre-eclampsia.