Journal of Education and Health Promotion

The effect of instruction on knowledge and attitude of couples attending pre‑marriage counseling classes

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Mitra Moodi 1
. Mohammad‑Reza Miri 1
. Gholam Reza Sharifirad 2

1 Department of Public Health, School of Health and Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Birjand

2 Department of Health Education and Promotion, Health School, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract
Backgrounds: Marriages and establishing a family is one of the most important events in the
life of each person. It has significant effects on personal and social health, if it occurs with
sufficient knowledge in the proper conditions. The aim of this study is to determine the effect
of pre‑marriage instruction on the knowledge and health attitudes of the couples attending the
pre‑marriage counseling classes. Materials and Methods: This pre and post quasi‑experimental
study was conducted on 250 couples attending the pre‑marriage counseling classes. The
required information was collected using an autonomous questionnaire designed based on
the research objectives. The questionnaire included three parts: Demographic information,
knowledge (27 questions) and attitude (18 questions. The questionnaire was filled out before
and after the pre‑marriage counseling program, which was presented as lectures. The effect
of the instructional program was analyzed using a statistical test. Results: The results showed
that 83.2% of the couples had poor knowledge, 16% average, and 0.8% had good knowledge
before 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 in
mean scores of knowledge and attitudes regarding reproductive health, family planning, genetic
diseases and disabilities was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Despite the
mean scores of knowledge and attitude of the couples had increased after the instructional
intervention, the increase in knowledge level was not very high. So the knowledge score of
the couples increased just 4.3%, and only 8% of the couples had good knowledge after the
instructional intervention. Therefore, to achieve a relatively stable behavior change in individuals
and improving the health level of the young couples, it is recommended that more attention
pay to the quality of the instructional classes.

Keywords

Attitude
couple
instruction
knowledge
pre‑marriage consultation
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 3, Issue 9
September 2013
Pages 1-5

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