The effects of the educational program on knowledge and care behavior of caregivers for decreasing iron accumulation in preschool aged children with thalassemia
Abstract:
This study was a quasi-experimental research. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the educational program on knowledge and behavior of caregivers for decreasing iron accumulation in preschool aged children with thalassemia. The sample included caregivers who took their children to attend the Pediatric Hematology Clinic, Department of Pediatrics in a tertiary care university hospital. The sample was divided into the experimental group and the control group, with 15 subjects in each group. The caregivers in the experimental group received the educational program which applied the learning theory of Gagné, Briggs and Wager (1988) as the conceptual framework of the study. The caregivers in the control group received only routine care. Knowledge and behavior of the caregivers were assessed by questionnaires. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and ANCOVA. The results showed that caregivers in the experimental group had a higher mean score of knowledge after the program than those in the control group (p < .05). Similarly, the caregivers in the experimental group had a higher mean score of care behavior after the program than those in the control group (p < .05). This study suggests that the program is effective in increasing knowledge and care behavior of the caregivers of children with thalassemia. Thus, the program could be implemented as a tool to assist the caregivers in providing better care to decrease iron accumulation in preschool aged children with thalassemia.