Randomized controlled evaluation of a theory-based postpartum sexual health education programme.
OBJECTIVE
This paper reports on a study to examine the effects of a theory-based interactive postpartum sexual health education programme on postpartum women's sexual health knowledge, attitudes towards sexual health, contraceptive self-efficacy and sexual self-efficacy.


BACKGROUND
Childbearing can challenge marital satisfaction and the sexual life of women, making the childbearing years a vulnerable stage in the sexual life of a woman. Although sexual education used to be a routine aspect of local postpartum teaching, this teaching was inadequate to satisfy women's informational needs related to sexual health.


METHODS
For this two-group, randomized controlled trial, 166 participants were recruited at a medical centre in northern Taiwan. The experimental group (n = 84) received the intervention. The control group (n = 82) received routine postpartum teaching. Participants in the experimental group were separated according to their learning preparedness, as determined by the transtheoretical model. Their level of preparedness was then matched to different sexual health education strategies used in the intervention. Data were collected in 2003 at baseline and at 3 days and 8 weeks following the intervention. Descriptive and repeated-measures anova were used to analyse data.


RESULTS
Sexual health knowledge, attitudes and sexual self-efficacy were significantly greater for women in the experimental group at 3 days and 8 weeks after the intervention programme than for those in the control group. However, contraceptive self-efficacy was not significantly different in the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The longer-term effectiveness of our theory-based interactive postpartum sexual health education programme will be enhanced by matching teaching strategies to participants' stage of learning preparedness.
Lee
Jian Tao
JT
School of Nursing, Chang Gung University, Kwei-Shan Tao-Yuan, Taiwan. jtlee@mail.cgu.edu.tw
Yen
Han-Wen
HW
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012736:Sex Education / Q000379:methods*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013624:Taiwan; D016896:Treatment Outcome