Abstract:
Pregnant teenagers are high risk group with a likelihood of preterm birth. This pretest-posttest quasi-experimental research aimed to evaluate the effects of nursing care based on Health Belief Model on preterm preventive perception and behaviors among pregnant teenagers. The participants included 62 pregnant women with less than 20 years old who received the ANC clinic at Buriram Hospital and randomly selected into either the experimental group (n=31) or control group (n=31). Data were collected by using personal questionnaire, preterm birth prevention perception, and preterm birth prevention behavior questionnaires. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to test reliability of preterm birth prevention perception, and preterm birth prevention behavior questionnaires a value of .75 and .72. Data analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, and Mann-Whitny U test. The results revealed that after the experiment the experimental group had the significantly better mean score of perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy, and preterm preventive behaviors than before intervention and the control group (z = -5.530, p<.001; z = -3.608, p<.001; z = -3.424, p<.001; z =-2.512, p=.021; z = -4.748, p<.001 & z = -5.611, p<.001).
Findings suggest that midwives could apply this nursing care based on Health Belief
Model program in order to promote the preventive preterm birth perceptions and behaviors of pregnant teenagers to reduce the rate of preterm birth.