Comparison of Effectiveness Self-care Returns Two Methods of Focus Group Discussions and Teach-back on Lifestyle of Pregnant Women

Aims: This study aimed to compare the effects of self-care education using focus group discussion and teach-back method on the lifestyle promotion of pregnant women. Methods & Materials: In this randomized field trial, participants were 90 pregnant women referred to the community health centers in Gonabad, Iran with no history of physical and psychological problems that can affect their self-care. They were randomly selected from among the three health centers and divided into three groups of focus group discussion, teach-back, and control. The data collection tools were a demographic form, and Walker’s Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) questionnaire completed before and one month after the intervention. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS v. 20 software using independent t-test, paired t-test and ANOVA. The P-value <0.05 was set as the significance level. Findings: There was no significant difference between the three groups in terms of educational level (P=0.029), occupation (P=0.090), income (P=0.099), and gestational age (P=0.741), and they were homogeneous. After intervention, all aspects of health-promoting lifestyle (except stress management) in two groups of teach-back (P<0.001) and focus group discussion (P<0.001) were significantly improved compared to the control group (P=0.66). In comparing the two educational methods, focus group discussion had a more significant impact on the lifestyle than the teach-back method. Conclusion: Focus group discussion method is recommended for the self-care education of pregnant women.