Application of Theory of Planned Behavior to Persuade Nulliparous Pregnant Women to Use Normal Vaginal Delivery in Dena Health Centers in IranApplication of the Theory of Planned Behavior to Increase the desire to have a Normal Vaginal Delivery among Null

In recent years, the rate of cesarean section (C-section) has increased globally in both developed and developing countries. In most cases, C-section is performed without evident medical need. This study was designed and conducted to investigate the effect of education based on the theory of planned behavior on the increased desire to have a normal vaginal delivery (NVD) in nulliparous women in the city of Dena in Iran.
This was a pre-experimental study. Subjects were selected from among nulliparous pregnant women who had a health record in health service centers in Dena and were in their third trimester. A total of 52 pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria participated in the study and the pretest questionnaire based on the theory of planned behavior was completed for them. After analysis of the data from pretest and identification of subscales that required more emphasis, educational intervention was carried out according to the theory. After 1 month of intervention, post-test questionnaires were filled out. McNamara’s test and paired t-test were used to analyze data.
Findings: After the educational intervention, a statistically significant difference was observed in attitude change, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms (P 0.05). After the intervention, 73.1% of mothers intended to have NVD and 17.3% intended to have a C-section. Moreover, 65% of participants had a NVD and 35% had a C-section.
Although the study findings showed that education based on the theory of planned behavior significantly increased all predictors of behavioral intention, no statistically significant increase was observed in behavioral intention. Thus, the designing and implementation of educational programs in this regard based on the theory of planned behavior in combination with related theories and models is recommended.