Effect of Nursing Intervention Programme on Knowledge of Preconception Care Among Female Students in a Selected Tertiary Institution in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract:

Background: The health of a woman prior pregnancy is of utmost importance. A healthy woman has better chance of a healthy gestation, but some diseases, drugs and lifestyle could have negative effect on the woman and her fetus. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of nursing intervention program on knowledge of preconception care among female students of the Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria. Methods: A one-group pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design was adopted. Multi-stage sampling was used to select 335 participants from the school. A structured questionnaire with a reliability of 0.708 was used for data collection. Analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics at significant level of 0.05. Results: The pre-and post-intervention knowledge mean scores on preconception care were 18.19 and 25.02, respectively, with a mean gain of 6.83. There was significant difference between the pre- and post-intervention knowledge mean score on preconception care (p=0.000). Conclusion: The study shows an increase in knowledge on preconception care among the participants; hence it is pertinent to organize regular training of women on preconception care. Keywords: Knowledge, Female students, Nursing intervention, Preconception care