The effect of education based on the theory of planned behavior in promoting preventive behaviors of urinary tract infections in pregnant women.

Introduction: Urinary tract infections are among the most common medical conditions in women. Due to changes in the body during pregnancy, pregnant women are more prone to be infected. Urinary tract infection is a very serious issue due to its potential side effects for the mother and the fetus. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of education based on the theory of planned behavior in promoting preventive behaviors of urinary tract infections in pregnant women. Materials and Methods: The present quasi-experimental study was conducted on 110 pregnant women admitted to health care centers in the city of Karaj who were randomly divided into the case and control groups. Data collection tools composed of a urine culture test and the questionnaire designed based on the theory of planned behavior, the validity and reliability of which had been approved prior to the study. The initial data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney statistical test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient in SPSS-18 software. The educational content was then designed and implemented based on the analyses. Three months after the educational intervention, the second test was conducted using the same questionnaire and the data were once again analyzed. Results: After the educational intervention, the mean score of the constructs of the theory of planned behavior (attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and behavioral intention) significantly increased in the case group compared to the control group (p<0.05). In addition, the incidence of urinary tract infection was 3% in the case group and %11 in the control group after the educational intervention, suggesting a statistically significant reduction (p <0.05). Conclusion: The health education program designed based on the theory of planned behavior was effective in promoting preventive behaviors of urinary tract infection. The control, monitoring and follow-up of training are recommended in the implementation these programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]