The effect of an educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior on childbearing intentions in women: A quasi-experimental study

An integrated theory based-educational intervention to change intention to have a child: study protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

In high- and low-income countries, declining birth rates have become a global concern. Couples do not have enough information about the complications of delaying and reducing childbearing and this leads them to make inappropriate decisions. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate whether an educational program based on integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Trans-Theoretical Model (TTM) affects child-free couples' intention to have children and minimizes the consequences of this decline.

METHODS

Thirty couples (intervention, n = 15; control, n = 15) will be enrolled in this cluster randomized controlled trial. After collecting baseline data and separating participants in the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages based on the TTM, the samples were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group will receive 60-min training based on TPB components for 4 weeks. The first follow-up assessment was performed immediately after the intervention and the final assessment 6 months later. For all 3 time assessments, three questionnaires will be used: The knowledge questionnaire, the TTM, and the TPB questionnaire. The most important consequences are changes in knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and stages of intentions to have children.

DISCUSSION

Decision-makers will use the results of this study as a basis to design appropriate, transparent, and useful policies and interventions to improve or stop the decline of the fertility rate at the national level. Also, this study will help young couples who wish to have a child in their lifetime by providing relevant information so that they do not miss this opportunity and face the consequences of delaying having a child. Trial registration This study was approved by the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT), Number: IRCT20220618055210N2, Date of registration: 2023-10-03.

Fertility education: recommendations for developing and implementing tools to improve fertility literacy†

Many recent societal trends have led to the need for fertility education, including the age at which individuals become parents, the development of new reproductive technologies, and family diversity. Fertility awareness has emerged as a concept very recently and is increasingly gaining recognition. However, fertility education is often neglected as there is no consensus on the appropriate content, target populations, or on who should provide it. This article attempts to provide an overview of the use of interventions to improve fertility education. We emphasize the importance of delivering evidence-based information on fertility and reproductive health through various methods while providing guidelines for their standardization and systematization. Recommendations are provided to aid the development and implementation of fertility education tools, including: the establishment of a comprehensive understanding of the target populations; the incorporation of theories of behavioural change; the inclusion of the users' perspectives and the use of participatory research; and the use of specific guidelines for increasing engagement. By following these recommendations, it is expected that fertility education resources can contribute to improving fertility literacy, empowering individuals and couples to make informed reproductive decisions, and ultimately reducing the incidence of infertility and need for fertility treatment.

Iranian women's attitude toward childbearing and its' association with generalized trust, social support, marital satisfaction and governmental childbearing incentives

Background

Having a child is important event for families worldwide. Attitudes toward childbearing are influenced by many factors. The aim of the present study was to investigate Iranian women's attitude toward childbearing and its association with generalized trust, social support, marital satisfaction, mental health, and socio-economic characteristics in Qazvin province.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey study was conducted between April and July 2022. Using convenience sampling, 347 women with no children or one child in Qazvin province (Iran) participated in the study. Data were collected via the Iranian online platform Porsline. The survey included a demographic and fertility characteristics questionnaire, Attitudes Toward the Government's Childbearing Incentives Scale (ATGCIS), Attitudes Toward Fertility and Childbearing Scale (ATFCS), ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (ENRICH MSS), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and Generalized Trust Scale (GTS).

Findings

The average age of participants was 35.66 years (SD = 6.89). The score of attitudes toward fertility and childbearing was 84.66 out of 134 (SD = 19.17). The average number of expected children by the couple was 2.36 (SD = 1.35). Multivariable linear regression found a positive and significant relationship between participants' attitudes toward fertility and childbearing (ATFC) and (i) governmental childbearing incentives (β = 0.365, p < 0.001, with 1.37 increase in ATFC with each unit increase in this scale) (ii) generalized trust (i.e., individual's expectation of others' trustworthiness), (β = 0.155, p < 0.003, with 0.60 increase in ATFC with each unit increase in generalized trust) and (iii) marital satisfaction (β = 0.146, p < 0.005, with 0.26 increase in ATFC with each unit increase marital satisfaction). The multivariable linear regression model also showed that attitudes toward fertility and childbearing was the only predictor of couples' expected number of children in the future (β = 0.214, p < 0.001, with 0.38 increase in couples' expected number of children with each unit increase in ATFC).

Conclusion

Government incentives were the strongest independent predictor of participants' attitudes toward childbearing which can indirectly influence couples' expected number of children in the future. Consequently, governments may be able to influence couples' childbearing decisions by providing appropriate incentives. Generalized trust and marital satisfaction were other significant predictors of attitudes toward childbearing. Therefore, implementing programs to improve generalized trust, and increasing marital satisfaction might be other influential measures in couples' childbearing decisions.

Comparing the Fertility Desire and Related Factors in Mothers with Intellectually Disabled Children and Mothers with Healthy Children

Background

The birth of a child with an intellectual disability is a common event. The fertility desire plays an important role in healthy reproductive programs. This study was conducted to compare the fertility desire and related factors in mothers with intellectually disabled and healthy children.

Materials and Methods

The present study was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The sample size consisted of 348 mothers with healthy and intellectually disabled children (174 per group). Sampling was performed at normal (six schools) and special primary schools (twelve schools) in Isfahan, Iran using stratified random sampling method. Attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, and gender preference were assessed using a researcher-made questionnaire and psychological well-being using Ryff questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test, and Logistic regression using SPSS 24.

Results

In this study, 21.84% of mothers with healthy children and 13.79% of mothers with intellectually disabled children were willing to have other children. The fertility desire in mothers with intellectually disabled and healthy children decreased as their numbers of children (CI 95% =0.14-0.42) and age increased (CI 95% =0.80-0.93) by 0.87 and 0.24, respectively. There was statistically significant difference in mean score of psychological well-being between the two groups of mothers with fertility desire (p = 0.017). There was no statistically significant difference in mean score of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, and gender preference (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

Apparently the awareness of fertility desire and related factors in mothers with healthy and intellectually disabled children may be helpful in healthy fertility counseling.