Media use in gynecological and obstetric care and women’s knowledge on
lifestyle-related risks: A cross-sectional multi-center study
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.