Infant Injury Prevention Education for Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Class: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

It is important to educate caregivers in order to prevent infant injuries. However, there have been few studies on the effects of education on pregnant women. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of injury prevention group education on this group. Study participants were recruited from a group of pregnant mothers attending an antenatal class in Tokyo. Participants were assigned to either the intervention or control group based on the month in which they attended the existing antenatal class. Both groups received a leaflet on injury prevention, but only the intervention group received an additional short one-shot lecture. The implementation of each of the nine safety practices was assessed during home visits after childbirth. Of the 131 study participants (56 in the control group and 75 in the intervention group), 106 (80.9%) received home visits after birth. Mothers in the intervention group implemented three practices significantly more than those in the control group: Keep soft objects away from the baby's head (38.3% vs. 13.0%), Do not place your baby on a high surface (74.6% vs. 52.2%), and Use the baby carrier correctly (93.3% vs. 76.1%). In the future, we plan to follow up the participants to evaluate the program's long-term effects, and to continue to improve the program.

Keywords: behavior change; infant care practices; injury prevention; pregnancy; program evaluation; safety practice.

Figure 1

Flowchart of participant registration and progress.