The effect of a Maternal Mentoring Programme on Pregnancy Readiness among Indonesian Women: Results of a Cluster Randomised Control Trial

Abstract

Many Indonesian women are not properly prepared for pregnancy prior to conception. The goal of the present study was to test the effect of a maternal mentoring programme on Indonesian women’s pregnancy readiness before conception. The maternal mentoring programme was expected to increase pregnancy readiness among this population. A cluster randomised control trial (CRCT) involving preconception women was conducted in three sub-districts of Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. There were 122 clusters with a total of 384 eligible participants who were randomly allocated to either the intervention group (n = 189) or the control group (n = 195). The maternal mentoring programme provided preconception health education; health monitoring; and text message reminders for the intervention group. The control group received standard care. Pregnancy readiness was measured using a pregnancy readiness score consisting of 15 indicators adapted from the National Preconception Health and Health Care Initiative. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire including: pregnancy readiness, age, parity, level of education, employment status, income, body mass index (BMI) and time spent preparing for pregnancy. Statistical tests included the independent t-test, and multilevel mixed effects logistic regression was used to measure effect of the programme. The results demonstrated that the intervention group had a significantly higher average pregnancy readiness score change from pre-intervention to post-intervention (4.5) than the control group (1.0) (p < 0.005). The intervention group was almost 12 times more likely (OR = 12.5; 95% CI: 6.6–23.6) to be prepared for pregnancy compared to the control group adjusting for age, parity, employment status, level of education, BMI and income. The study concluded that the maternal mentoring programme improved readiness for pregnancy among a cluster sample of Indonesian women.