The Effect of Podcast and Pregnancy School Education on Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy and Infant Feeding Attitudes

Sakarya University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Educational Podcasts, Antenatal Classes

Treatments: Other: Breastfeeding education

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07124663

07082025

Details and patient eligibility

About

Self-efficacy is a fundamental component for individuals to effectively manage and succeed in a given domain. In this context, breastfeeding self-efficacy is essential for the successful initiation and continuation of breastfeeding. High levels of breastfeeding self-efficacy among pregnant women facilitate adaptation to the postpartum period. Educational interventions provided during the final stages of pregnancy contribute to increased self-efficacy and promote smoother adjustment to the postpartum process. Therefore, antenatal education plays a crucial role in preparing women for the postpartum period.

Accessibility to educational programs is key to reaching a larger population of pregnant women. Antenatal classes offer rich and comprehensive content, but their in-person nature requires women to physically attend clinical settings. It is essential that educational materials are also accessible to women who are unable to attend such facilities. Podcasts, which have become a part of our daily lives in recent years, can be utilized as an educational tool during pregnancy and other life stages. Podcasts are media files distributed over the internet and playable on portable devices. The core purpose of a podcast is to provide professional audio content that can be listened to anytime, anywhere, based on the listener's preference. This makes podcast-based education a highly accessible form of learning, particularly for pregnant women who can engage with the material as often as they wish, at their convenience of time and place.

Moreover, because podcasts do not involve visual elements (e.g., video or images), they can serve as a supportive platform that women can utilize during daily activities such as housework, walking, or cooking.

When reviewing previous thesis studies related to antenatal education, it is evident that most have focused on how antenatal classes affect childbirth fear and birth outcomes. On the other hand, thesis studies involving podcasts have largely been conducted in the fields of journalism, communication sciences, advertising, education, and sociology. The inclusion of a podcast intervention group in the proposed thesis will contribute novel findings from a type of intervention that has not previously been applied in the health sciences. The fact that previous podcast-related theses were in different disciplines demonstrates that podcasts are not limited to a single field but can be effective across various domains. Therefore, using podcasts during pregnancy, examining their impact on successful breastfeeding, and comparing them with a traditionally used method constitutes the most distinctive aspect of this thesis. A review of the broader literature outside of theses shows that podcasts are indeed used in the health field, primarily as a tool for raising awareness on specific topics. However, only one study in the field of obstetrics was identified, which investigated the effects of educational podcasts on women's sense of control and satisfaction during childbirth. That particular study included only low-risk pregnant women. In light of existing literature and previously conducted theses, the planned study is believed to be a novel contribution to the field of midwifery. It offers a new perspective to the literature and addresses women's health in a holistic manner by encompassing both the pregnancy and postpartum periods. This comprehensive approach is considered one of the key strengths of the research.

Enrollment: 90 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18 to 50 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Pregnant women who are at least in the 28th week of gestation and have not yet given birth

Pregnant women in the podcast intervention group who confirm that they can access the provided links

Pregnant women in the antenatal class education group who are able to attend the SEAH antenatal education unit

Primigravida women (women in their first pregnancy)

Exclusion criteria

Pregnant women diagnosed with high-risk pregnancies

Pregnant women who do not consent to participate in the study

Pregnant women who do not have sufficient proficiency in the Turkish language

Postpartum women who experienced preterm birth

Postpartum women diagnosed with a condition that results in mother-infant separation

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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90 participants in 3 patient groups

podcast group

Experimental group

Description:

Podcasts covering breastfeeding and breast milk education will be prepared by the educator. The content of the training will be developed in accordance with the antenatal education curriculum provided by the Ministry of Health. Pregnant women will have unrestricted access to the podcasts, allowing them to listen at any time and as often as they wish.

Treatment:

Other: Breastfeeding education

Antenatal classes

Experimental group

Description:

Presentations covering education on healthy breast milk and breastfeeding will be prepared by the educator. The content of the training presentations will be developed in accordance with the antenatal education curriculum of the Ministry of Health. The education will be delivered face-to-face once during the third trimester by the educator at the SEAH antenatal class.

Treatment:

Other: Breastfeeding education

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

Pregnant women assigned to this group will not receive any education; only the pregnancy identification form, the Antenatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Infant Feeding Attitude Scale will be administered.