Investigating the Effects of Prenatal Education on the Quality of Life (QoL) of Nulliparous Women

Prenatal education provides information about pregnancy, the birth process, and the promotion of parenthood and is a positive approach to preparing the mother for childbirth. This study aims to determine the effect of prenatal education on the quality of life (QoL) of nulliparous women referred to Amini Langroudi Hospital.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 93 pregnant women who were referred to Amini Langroudi Hospital from 2013 to 2015. The samples were selected via the convenience sampling method and then divided into an intervention group (n=48) and a control group (n=45). The data was collected by a two-part questionnaire, including personal and obstetrics information, along with the QoL questionnaire (36-item short-form survey). The questionnaires were completed by mothers in their 20th week of pregnancy and at the end of care. Pregnant women in the intervention group were trained in 8 sessions by midwives. The data were analyzed using the independent t-test, the paired t-test, and the Chi-square test. 

The results of the independent t-test showed no significant difference between the dimensions of life quality before the intervention in nulliparous women in both groups. A significant difference was observed in the functional limitation due to physical problems between the scores of dimensions of QoL after intervention in nulliparous women in the intervention group (P=0.00) and the control group (P=0.04). Meanwhile, no statistically significant difference was detected in other dimensions in the intervention group (independent t-test).

This study showed that after training classes, the participants’ mental health was better in the intervention group compared to the control group, although there was no significant difference.