Preconception educational interventions for women, present landscape, gaps, and future directions: A scoping review

Purpose

To summarize studies on educational interventions in preconception care for non-pregnant women of reproductive age.

Methods

A scoping review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute and Arksey and O'Malley frameworks. Seven electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov, Web of Science, Cochrane Database, PsycINFO) were searched from inception to April 19, 2024. The study types included randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled studies.

Results

A total of 34 articles encompassing 29 studies (27 randomized controlled trials) were included in this review. Among these, 17 studies (58.6 %) targeted general preconception women, while the remaining studies focused on specific populations, such as women with higher body mass index (BMI), low income, teenagers with diabetes, risk drinking, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or tobacco use. Preconception educational interventions were predominantly delivered by healthcare professionals, with minimal research involving multidisciplinary team collaboration. The interventions were primarily categorized into two types.

in-person education (24 studies, 82.8 %) and technology-based education (12 studies, 41.4 %). Six studies combined both types, and one study included two groups using different approaches. In-person education included group sessions (16 studies, 55.2 %), one-on-one sessions (10 studies, 34.5 %), and printed materials (8 studies, 27.6 %). Technology-based methods involved websites/chatbots (6 studies, 17.2 %), texts/calls/emails (5 studies, 17.2 %), and digital materials (2 studies, 6.9 %). Notably, 16 studies (51.7 %) used multiple educational methods. The intervention content covered 15 key preconception health domains. The most frequently addressed domain was “healthy lifestyle” (22/29, 75.9 %), but 12 studies (41.4 %) covered only a single domain. Preconception educational interventions demonstrated positive impacts on women's knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, mental health, and biometric indicators. However, evidence on their effects on maternal and neonatal outcomes, as well as on mental health and biometric indicators, remains limited.

Conclusion

Preconception educational interventions have shown clear benefits across various aspects of women's health. However, current evidence reveals several critical gaps. Strengthening the distribution and accessibility of preconception health resources, especially in low- and middle-income countries, remains essential. Future research should focus on high-risk populations, adopt multidisciplinary approaches, and integrate comprehensive intervention strategies. Broader coverage of preconception health domains is also needed. Moreover, further studies on maternal and neonatal outcomes, mental health, and biometric indicators are vital to reinforce the evidence base and guide practice.

Registration

The study protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/6c2dw).