Abstract:
The purpose of this descriptive research was to examine the relationships
between perception of health, social support, attitude toward pregnancy and prenatal
visits of adolescent pregnant women. The conceptual framework guiding this study
was derived from Beckers health believe model. A purposive sample consisted of
120 adolescent pregnant women who attended the prenatal clinics at Ramathibodi
Hospital, Pramongkutklou Hospital, and Rajvithi Hospital. Data were collected from
March to June, 2007. Instruments used to collect data were Demographic Data
Profile, Perception of Health Questionnaire, Social Support Questionnaire and
Attitude toward Pregnancy Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive
statistics, Point Biserial Correlation and t-test. The findings revealed that perception of
health, social support, and attitude toward pregnancy were significantly associated
with prenatal visits. (rpb= .266, p < .01; rpb = .303, p < .01 and rpb = .358, p < .01). The
mean scores of perception of health, social support, and attitude toward pregnancy of
the subjects who had adequate prenatal visits were different from the subjects who
had inadequate prenatal visits. (t = -2.99, p < .01, t = -3.57, p < .01 and t = -4.17, p <
.001)
The findings of this study suggest that health care professionals should assess
perception of health, social support, and attitude toward pregnancy of adolescent
pregnant women. Additionally, the adolescent pregnant women should be encouraged
to have adequate prenatal care and to have efficient self-care during pregnancy