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Awareness of the birth process among university students: knowledge of risks associated with cesarean deliveries
Author(s) -
Joyce Stephanie,
Johnson Deborah,
Nolte Joy V,
Granger Lauren A,
Kavanagh Katie F
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.736.14
Subject(s) - breastfeeding , medicine , childbirth , cesarean delivery , lethargy , family medicine , nursing , obstetrics , pregnancy , pediatrics , psychiatry , genetics , biology
Traumatic birth experiences may have a direct impact on breastfeeding success. Our purpose was to collect baseline and follow‐up data on university students' knowledge of risks of cesarean deliveries (medically indicated or not), before and after screening of a documentary featuring natural childbirth as an option for those with low risk of complications. The event was free and included a discussion panel, comprised of a Certified Nurse Midwife, a Registered Nurse, and a Medical Doctor to answer audience questions. Pretests and posttests were administered. Chi‐squared tests were performed at the 0.05 level of significance. Of the 225 attendees, 205 completed the pretest and 162 completed the posttest. Participant knowledge regarding risks associated with cesarean delivery significantly increased. This included maternal recovery time (80.5 vs. 85.2%); respiratory distress in infants (28.3 vs. 45.1%); infant lethargy (25.4 vs. 42.6%); maternal mortality (33.2 vs. 67.9%); infant mortality (24.9 vs. 61.1%); and delayed initiation of breastfeeding (46.8 vs. 71%). Results indicate that exposure to the documentary and expert discussion panel did result in increased knowledge of risks of cesarean deliveries, especially those associated negatively impacting breastfeeding success. Funding: The Dept of Nutrition, Dean's Office, and The Center for Public Health at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Grant Funding Source Internal University funds