Pregnant women: What do they need to know during pregnancy? A descriptive study

Background: Antenatal education programs provide women with essential knowledge and skills in various aspects of maternal and fetal health. Antenatal education is based on improving women's health, reducing the risks of complications and enhancing couples' positive experience during childbirth. There is a lack of formal antenatal educational programs based on women's needs in Jordan. Aim: This study sought to identify and prioritize the learning needs for women during pregnancy. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed. The study sample was recruited from three maternal and child health centers. Data were collected from a convenient sample of 150 pregnant women during their antenatal visits. One hundred and twenty three participants (response rate = 82%) completed the self-reported antenatal learning needs questionnaire. Findings: Women identified their most important learning needs were related to managing major complications of pregnancy (mean = 3.49,SD = 0.78), investigations and physician follow-up visit during pregnancy (mean = 3.42, SD = 0.71), appropriate diet (mean = 3.36, SD = 0.84) and information about medication and supplements (mean = 3.22, SD = 0.97). Spearman correlation showed negative association between participants' age and physical (r = -0.536, p = 0.015) and emotional concerns (r = -0.490, p = 0.001). Women who had a diploma or higher degree reported greater concern regarding physical (median = 4.00, IQR = 3.00-4.00, p = 0.047) and emotional changes (median = 3.33, IQR = 3.00-4.00, p = 0.004). Finally, migrant participants showed greater significant concern regarding emotional changes and coping with minor complications. Conclusion: A large proportion of pregnant women in this study reported a high degree of importance of specific learning topics that were closely relevant to their current period of pregnancy. The lack of focusing on issues related to maternal emotional status and possible complications suggests a need for a national strategy to provide antenatal education based on women's perceptions of their needs. (C) 2016 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.