Comparison of effects of home visits and routine postpartum care on the healthy behaviors of Iranian low-risk mothers

ABSTRACT

Postpartum care at home is a post delivery care method that can be provided by public health nurses, trained health workers, or midwifery nurses. A study conducted to compare effect of two midwife visits at home to usual postpartum care on the healthy behaviors of low-risk Iranian mothers. A randomized controlled trial conducted on 200 mothers at a reference center for screening for infant hypothyroidism in Tehran. Mothers were randomized to either home-based [n =100] or routine-based postpartum care [n= 100]. Each mother and her neonate received two cares. Home-based cares were provided by a midwife in the intervention group. Postpartum cares in the control group were provided by care providers of primary health care system. Healthy behavior was measured using a validated and reliable researcher made instrument. The data were analyzed using independent sample t-tests, paired t-test, and chi[2]-test. The data showed that a significant number of subjects in the control group did not receive their postpartum care [P< 0.001]. The mean score of maternal healthy behaviors in the intervention group increased from 120.5 [SE= 0.76] to 148.9 [SE= 1.02] [P< 0.001] and in the control group from 119.9 [SE= 1.06] to 140.9 [SE= 1.08][P< 0.001]. The mean score of maternal healthy behaviors in the intervention group had significant differences with that in the control group at the end of study [P< 0.001]. Early postpartum care at home by trained midwives can be positively effective for improving maternal healthy behaviors in less developed countries