Effect of theory of planned behavior on fear of vaginal delivery: A randomized educational trial

Fear of childbirth is a common problem in pregnant women, which usually results in increased request for Cesarean section deliveries. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of education based on the theory of planned behavior on fear of childbirth and choosing vaginal delivery among pregnant women. One hundred pregnant women at 20-36 weeks’ gestation who were covered by the health centers of Aleshtar, Iran were selected using simple random sampling. After pretest using two valid and reliable questionnaires (one researcher-made questionnaire and the Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire (CAQ)), the samples were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups. The intervention group attended four educational sessions. Then, after the intervention, the above questionnaires were administered in both groups once again. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance, t test, chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test, and Wilcoxon test. There was no significant difference in the constructs of the theory between the two groups before the intervention while significant differences were observed in the scores of knowledge , attitude, and perceived behavioral control (P = 0.001), intention to choose vaginal delivery (P = 0.004), and vaginal delivery (P = 0.001) between the two groups. Education based on the theory of planned behavior could significantly affect the fear of childbirth and increase the vaginal delivery rate.