Effectiveness of Health Education Program on the Level of Knowledge and Attitude of Pregnant Women Regarding Obstetric Danger Signs in Upper Egypt

Background & Objective(s): The present study aimed to assess women’s knowledge and attitude towards ODS (obstetric danger signs) among pregnant women in Upper Egypt and improve women's knowledge through the implementation of an educational program. Methods: a quasi-experimental study was conducted among 300 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics. Data collection was done using structured questionnaires which were distributed to the participants during face to face interview with the researchers. An educational program was implemented to enhance women's knowledge of ODS. Data analysis was done using the SPSS program, version (24). Results: A total of 300 pregnant women were enrolled in the present study. Socio-demographic factors such as increased age, higher educational level, rural residence, and larger family size were shown to significantly influence knowledge about obstetric danger signs. Furthermore, antenatal and obstetric risk factors such as high parity, more number of antenatal visits, history of abortion or medical disease and previous exposure to ODS were shown to be significantly associated with more knowledge about ODS. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the significant predictors that influence the participants' knowledge were women's education and the number of antenatal visits. Most of the study participants had a positive attitude towards ODS (82.3%). The overall knowledge score was increased significantly after the implementation of the educational program from 9.4±4.97to27.93±4.4. Conclusion: The study revealed that most of the study participants had a positive attitude towards ODS. The implementation of an education program had a positive effect on increasing women's knowledge about ODS. Health care providers should educate the women about ODS during their antenatal visits as they are the primary source of women's knowledge.