Effectiveness of Planned Teaching Programme on Knowledge Regarding Preconception Care Among Adolescents

Unwanted teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse and other problems in adolescents necessitate the need for programmes designed to improve their preconceptional health. The objectives of the study were to determine the existing knowledge of adolescents regarding preconception care; develop and administer a planned teaching programme (PTP) on preconception care among adolescents; and evaluate the effectiveness of the planned teaching programme. The conceptual framework was developed based on Becker's Health Belief Model. A quasi-experimental one-group pre-test post-test design was used with a sample of 120 adolescents selected from three degree colleges in Mangalore city using multistage random sampling. Results showed that the overall mean percentage of knowledge score improved from 39.05% in pre-test to 74.45% in post-test, with a mean effectiveness of 35.40%. Inferential statistics using paired 't' test showed a very highly significant difference (t=31.861, P<0.005) between pre-test and post-test knowledge scores, confirming that the planned teaching programme was very highly effective in improving adolescents' knowledge on preconception care.