A qualitative study of pregnant teenagers' perceptions of the acceptability of a nutritional education intervention.
OBJECTIVE
in order to assess the feasibility of nutritional education intervention sessions for pregnant teenagers, standard dietary assessment schedules were supplemented by a qualitative appraisal. Reported in this paper are the perceptions of pregnant teenagers who attended one or more of these sessions.


METHODS
qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. Data were collected using semi-structured tape-recorded group interviews.


METHODS
two community centres and one maternity unit in Tayside, Scotland.


METHODS
ten pregnant teenagers aged 16-18 years.


METHODS
all had attended one or more of a series of food preparation sessions led by a midwife. Food to take away was provided, as were supermarket vouchers.


RESULTS
those who attended found the sessions to be social, educational, and practical. These young women appreciated being in a group which did not include 'older' pregnant women. To a limited extent they had changed their dietary habits at home. Food to take home was a significant attraction. Some of the teenagers sought maternity-related information from the midwife leading the session.


CONCLUSIONS
nutritional education remains an important public health issue. Despite offering a range of incentives, attracting teenagers to these sessions was difficult, making their economic feasibility questionable.


CONCLUSIONS
with better recruitment, such sessions could form an important part of improving nutrition and overall health for current and future generations.
Symon
Andrew G
AG
School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK. a.g.symon@snm.dundee.ac.uk
Wrieden
Wendy L
WL
D000293:Adolescent; D003296:Cooking; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008880:Midwifery / Q000379:methods; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D018579:Patient Selection; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000523:psychology*; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012606:Scotland; D012938:Social Perception