EFFECTIVENESS OF A STRUCTURED TEACHING PROGRAMME ON MATERNAL KNOWLEDGE REGARDING NEONATAL HYPOTHERMIA PREVENTION: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL PRE-TEST/POST-TEST STUDY

Abstract

Neonatal hypothermia is a major contributor to neonatal morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite its preventability, gaps in maternal knowledge regarding thermal care practices persist. Structured educational interventions offer a promising strategy to address this issue.

Objectives:
To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured teaching programme (STP) in improving maternal knowledge on the prevention of neonatal hypothermia.

Methods:
A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was employed at a tertiary care hospital in Chennai, India. A total of 108 postnatal mothers were selected using purposive sampling. A structured knowledge questionnaire consisting of 20 multiple-choice items was used to assess maternal knowledge before and after a 30-minute STP that included audiovisual aids and live demonstrations. Post-test assessment was conducted three days after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS v26.0, with paired t-tests applied to evaluate knowledge gains.

Results:
The mean knowledge score significantly increased from 10.2 ± 2.3 (pre-test) to 17.8 ± 1.5 (post-test) (p < 0.001). Domain-specific improvements were observed across causes (37.0% to 83.3%), symptoms (32.4% to 81.5%), preventive strategies (27.8% to 85.2%), and Kangaroo Mother Care (23.1% to 78.7%). The proportion of participants with 'excellent' knowledge rose from 1.9% to 63.0%, while 'poor' knowledge dropped from 37.0% to 1.9%. Feedback showed that 94.4% of mothers found the session helpful and easy to understand.

Conclusion:
The structured teaching programme was effective in significantly improving maternal knowledge across all domains of neonatal hypothermia prevention. These findings support the integration of structured education into routine postnatal care, particularly in resource-constrained settings.