the effect of smartphone-based self-care education on awareness, perceived severity and self-care behaviors in pregnant women at risk of preterm birth during covid-19 pandemic: a quasi-experimental study

Background & aim: the fear of being affected by covid-19 has significantly reduced perinatal care. the current study aimed to evaluate the impact of smartphone-based self-care education on awareness, perceived severity, and self-care of pregnant women at risk of preterm birth during a covid-19 pandemic. methods: this quasi-experimental study was conducted on 115 pregnant women at risk of preterm birth that was assigned into intervention (n=58) and control (n=57) groups. the research tools included the demographic and preterm delivery screening checklist, awareness, perceived severity, and self-care questionnaires. the intervention group received training files using whatsapp software within two weeks. the control group received no intervention. the questionnaires were completed before (t1), 8 (t2) and 12 (t3) weeks after the implementation of the intervention in two groups. anova, ancova, independent t-test, chi-square, and fisher’s exact test were used to analyze the data using spss software (version 24). results: no significant difference was found between baseline data (t1) before the intervention in two groups (p>0.05); while after the intervention, a significant increase was observed in the mean score of awareness at t2 and t3 compared to t1 (p<0.001) as well as self-care at t2 and t3 compared to t1 (p<0.001). also, a significant decrease was observed in the mean score of perceived severity (p<0.001) in the intervention and control group over time. conclusion: it appears that distance learning to provide care for pregnant women and informing healthcare providers about their condition can be useful, especially for those who are at risk during pandemics.