The Development of a Prenatal Education Toolkit for Prenatal Educators in the State of Georgia: A Special Studies Project Open Access

Abstract

Background: The state of Georgia ranks poorly for a number of maternal and neonatal health outcomes in the United States. Moreover, there are significant racial and ethnic disparities in these maternal health outcomes within the state. Prenatal education has the power to improve maternal and infant outcomes. Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia conducted An Evaluation of Current Prenatal Education Availability and Receptivity to Online Education in the state of Georgia in 2018. This evaluation found that prenatal education curriculums in Georgia were not covering important prenatal topics in classes.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to develop, evaluate, and disseminate a prenatal education toolkit for prenatal educators throughout the state of Georgia. The topics covered in the toolkit intend to cover common gaps in prenatal education as identified by the HMHB 2018 report. The goal of this project is to inform prenatal educators on vital, yet overlooked prenatal topics, as well as guide and encourage educators in the distribution of this information to women in Georgia.

Methods: The content of this toolkit was informed by Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia’s 2018 report. Toolkits from other renowned organizations served as a guide for the structure of this toolkit. The toolkit underwent review by HMHB staff and by prenatal educators throughout Georgia via focus group discussions.

Results: The final toolkit can be retrieved with the following link http://hmhbga.org/wp-content/uploads/Final-Toolkit-HMHBGA-02122020.pdf. The content is published on Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia’s website. HMHB’s program coordinator, research & policy analyst, and I presented the toolkit at an HMHB conference and webinar. The toolkit was emailed to the HMHB listserv and prenatal educators who were contacted during focus group recruitment.

Discussion: Maternal and infant health organizations in other regions of the United States should carry out evaluations similar to that of HMHB in order to identify and act upon prenatal education gaps within their areas. Prenatal education toolkits for educators across specific regions or states can improve the knowledge base of prenatal educators, motivate educators to teach on overlooked yet important topics, and potentially improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 

 

Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………………………1

           Introduction and Significance……………………………………………………………..1

           Problem Statement………………………………………………………………………...5

           Purpose Statement…………………………………………………………………………7

           Definition of Terms and Abbreviations…………………………………………………...9

Chapter 2: Literature Review…………………………………………………………………….10

           Prenatal Education……………………………………………………………………….10

           Significance of Frequently Overlooked Prenatal Education Topics……………………..17

Chapter 3: Methodology…………………………………………………………………………37

           Step One: Beginning Steps in Toolkit Creation………………………………………….37

           Step Two: Creation of Sub-sections………………..……………………………………39

           Step Three: Creating the “How to Use Toolkit” Section……………………………..….41

           Step Four: Internal Revisions after Initial Draft…………………………………………42

           Step Five: Focus Group Discussions…………………………………………………….44

           Step Six: Incorporation of Focus Group Discussion Feedback………………………….48

           Step Seven: Final Internal Review……………………………………………………….48

           Step Eight: Graphic Design……………………………………………………………...48

           IRB Approval…………………………………………………………………………….48

Chapter 4: Results………………………………………………………………………………..49

           Focus Group Discussion Results………………………………………………………...49

           Toolkit Product…………………………………………………………………………..56

           Presentation at HMHB’s 45^th Annual Meeting & Conference…………………………..6

           Further Dissemination of the Toolkit…………………………………………………….60

Chapter 5: Discussion……………………………………………………………………………61

           Strengths…………………………………………………………………………………61

           Limitations……………………………………………………………………………….63

           Recommendations………………………………………………………………………..65

           Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….67

References………………………………………………………………………………………..68

Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………….…73

           Appendix A: Table of Toolkits from External Sources………………………………….73

           Appendix B: Informed Consent Forms…………………………………………………..74

           Appendix C: Focus Group Discussion Budget…………………………………………..77

           Appendix D: Focus Group Discussion Guide……………………………………………77

           Appendix E: Feedback Tables…………………………………………………………...79

       

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	M.P.H.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health Education, Health Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Keyword	special studies project Prenatal education
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Kathryn Yount, Emory University Sydney Spangler , Emory University

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