A survey on the effects of husbands’ education of pregnant women on knowledge, attitude, and reducing elective cesarean section

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, cesarean section rate is increasing in Iran and throughout the world. Cesarean section is one of the major surgical procedures, which carry serious and rarely fetal risk for mother and child. This study was conducted to determine the effects of health education on husbands of pregnant women in reducing elective cesarean section. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a trial study, in which 88 pregnant women between 28-32 weeks of pregnancy, who referred to the private clinics in Isfahan, were randomly assigned into case and control groups. The husbands of the women within case group were educated about cesarean and vaginal delivery. At the beginning of study and 4 weeks after an educational intervention, the knowledge and attitude of 3 groups (cases, controls, and husbands of case group) were determined. The type of delivery was determined by phone call. FINDINGS: Educational intervention on husbands caused a significant increase in the knowledge and a positive attitude in mothers within case group towards vaginal delivery. Elective cesarean section in case group was significantly lower than that of the control group (29.5% vs. 50%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that husbands’ education can effectively increase the knowledge and improve the attitude of their wives, and reduce the rate of elective cesarean section.