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Media use in gynecological and obstetric care and women’s knowledge on lifestyle-related risks: A cross-sectional multi-center study
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  • Maren Wittek,
  • Michel Wensing,
  • Charlotte Ullrich,
  • Gerhard Müller,
  • Monika Heinzel-Gutenbrunner,
  • Manuela Bombana
Maren Wittek
University Hospital Heidelberg
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Michel Wensing
University Hospital Heidelberg
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Charlotte Ullrich
University Hospital Heidelberg
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Gerhard Müller
AOK Baden-Württemberg
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Monika Heinzel-Gutenbrunner
MH Statistics Consulting
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Manuela Bombana
University Hospital Heidelberg

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Media-based educational interventions applied by healthcare providers may improve women‘s adherence, health literacy and awareness of LRRFs, and off-spring health outcomes. This study aims to investigate whether exposure to media-based educational interventions in gynecological and obstetric care are associated with self-assessed levels of knowledge on LRRFs during pregnancy and lactation. DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: The study was carried out across 14 randomly generated sample points in the twelve most-populated cities in Ba-den-Wuerttemberg, South-West Germany. Women were recruited in gynecological and obstetric institutions. SAMPLE: The study sample comprised of 219 women who met our inclusion criteria and completed the quantitative questionnaire. METHODS: We applied ordinal logistic regression analyses to calculate Odds Ratios (ORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women’s self-assessed level of knowledge in relation to the exposure to media-based educational interventions by healthcare providers. RESULTS: Media-based educational interventions on LRRFs during pregnancy through gynecologists and/or midwifes are significantly associated with women’s self-assessed level of knowledge (gynecologists: OR 4.26 (95% CI 2.04, 8.90; p <.001); midwifes: OR 3.86 (95% CI 1.66, 8.98; p=.002)). Similar results were found for media-based educational interventions through gynecologists and/or midwifes on LRRFs during lactation and its association with women’s self-assessed level of knowledge (gynecologists: OR 4.76 (95% CI 2.15, 10.59; p <.001); midwifes: OR 7.61 (95% CI 3.13, 18.53; p<.001)). CONCLUSION: The study suggests that exposure to media-based educational interventions in gynecological and obstetric care increases women’s level of knowledge on LRRFs during pregnancy and lactation.