Effect of an educational intervention on pregnancy: A cluster-randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effects of an educational intervention on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women regarding the use of regional foods. Methods: Single-blind cluster-randomized clinical trial with two parallel groups. The study was carried out from January to September 2013. Cluster random allocation was defined by the simple random allocation process. A draw was performed with the clusters, followed by a random allocation to choose the health units. Cluster A was part of the intervention group and cluster B was included in the control group. The intervention group had 91 pregnant women, who were introduced to an educational booklet, and the control group had 94 pregnant women, who attended regular prenatal appointments. Results: The effect of the educational booklet on the intervention group presented statistical significance (p < 0.001) on the seventh and thirtieth days after the intervention when compared to the results of the control group, and there was an increase in the prevalence of adequacy of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the use of regional foods. Conclusion: The educational booklet was an effective intervention to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women regarding the use of regional foods.