Preventing late preterm birth: Health education strategies, activities and impact

Health education, of pregnant women and of clinicians and public health workers delivering services in the prenatal period, was the key component of the March of Dimes/Johnson & Johnson national model 2007-2009 Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait (HBWW). Designed to reduce increasing rates of singleton preterm birth (PTB) in specific KY intervention sites, this real-world collaborative effort relied heavily on health promotion activities related to its leading contributor, late (34-36 weeks) PTB. Multiple strategies used for delivery of key late PTB prevention messages included: development of educational content and format for bilingual signature brochures, brain cards, Prematurity Prevention ToolKit, www.premturityprevention.org, interactive diaries, HBWW logo items; perinatal provider continuing education (grand rounds, webinars, conferences, professional education resource centers, monthly relevant articles/professional guidelines) stressing the importance of evidence-based interventions, linking clients to services (smoking cessation, home visitation), and the positive impact of perinatal quality initiatives on the prevention of some late PTB; fostering collaboration between the clinical and local DOH teams; and leveraging community events to teach targeted audiences about the seriousness of late PTB and how everyone can make a difference (health fairs, billboards, media spots, giveaways with late PTB messages). Results will be presented of tracked health education activities and materials dissemination, as will findings from the intervention and comparison sites 2007 baseline (N=1066) and 2009 follow-up (N=1122) surveys of prenatal clients and from baseline/follow-up perinatal provider surveys regarding HBWW impact on PTB-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Lessons learned and recommendations to help prevent PTB will be discussed.