Empowering Village Health Workers to Influence Preconception Behavior and Increase Utilization of Preconception Health Services in the Deli Serdang Regency

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Preconception health care are critical in addressing modifiable risk factors to prevent maternal death, neonatal death, unplanned pregnancies, birth defects, premature birth and retardation of fetal growth in the womb. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of preconception health cadres empowerment on changed in preconception health behaviors of brides and grooms-to-be, as well as improved utilization of preconception health services at eight community health centers in the Deli Serdang district. METHODS: This research is part of a dissertation study entitled Preconception Period Service Strategy on Brides and Grooms-to-Be through Empowerment of Preconception Health Cadres in Deli Serdang Regency. The effect of the empowerment of preconception health cadres in preconception health behaviors performed by Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test with the statistical significance test with CI 95% and significant difference value p<0,05. The Normalized Gain (N-gain score) test is used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. RESULTS. There is a significant influence of preconception health cadres empowerment interventions on the knowledge, attitudes, and actions of brides and grooms-to-be in preconception health with the same probability value of p=0.001. Most brides and grooms-to-be (80%) take advantage of preconception health services at health centers after following the intervention of empowerment of preconception health cadres. CONCLUSIONS. Interventions empowering preconception health cadres significantly affect the behavior of the brides and grooms-to-be and quite effective in increasing knowledge and actions of brides and grooms-to-be in preconception health.