. Mitra Moodi; . Mohammad‑Reza Miri; . Gholam Reza Sharifirad
Volume 3, Issue 9 , September 2013, , Pages 1-5
Abstract
Backgrounds: Marriages and establishing a family is one of the most important events in thelife of each person. It has significant effects on personal and social health, if it occurs ...
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Backgrounds: Marriages and establishing a family is one of the most important events in thelife of each person. It has significant effects on personal and social health, if it occurs withsufficient knowledge in the proper conditions. The aim of this study is to determine the effectof pre‑marriage instruction on the knowledge and health attitudes of the couples attending thepre‑marriage counseling classes. Materials and Methods: This pre and post quasi‑experimentalstudy was conducted on 250 couples attending the pre‑marriage counseling classes. Therequired information was collected using an autonomous questionnaire designed based onthe research objectives. The questionnaire included three parts: Demographic information,knowledge (27 questions) and attitude (18 questions. The questionnaire was filled out beforeand after the pre‑marriage counseling program, which was presented as lectures. The effectof the instructional program was analyzed using a statistical test. Results: The results showedthat 83.2% of the couples had poor knowledge, 16% average, and 0.8% had good knowledgebefore the intervention. After the intervention, 60.4% of couples had poor knowledge, 31.6%average and 8% had good knowledge. The results also revealed that that the difference inmean scores of knowledge and attitudes regarding reproductive health, family planning, geneticdiseases and disabilities was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Despite themean scores of knowledge and attitude of the couples had increased after the instructionalintervention, the increase in knowledge level was not very high. So the knowledge score ofthe couples increased just 4.3%, and only 8% of the couples had good knowledge after theinstructional intervention. Therefore, to achieve a relatively stable behavior change in individualsand improving the health level of the young couples, it is recommended that more attentionpay to the quality of the instructional classes.
