THE EFFECTS OF NURSE INTERVENTION ON ANTENATAL CLIENT HEALTH BEHAVIOR.
Contributors: University of Rochester.
Published: 1984
Number of pages: 148
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: Although the determinants of preventive health behavior have been intensely studied, the lack of compliance to health care recommendations remains a serious problem. Injurious life style behaviors contribute increasingly to health care expenditures, moribidity, and mortality. Cigarette smoking during pregnancy has been shown to have adverse effects on the mother, fetus, newborn, and child in laters years. This study was undertaken to systematically investigate what factors are related to the smoking behavior of high risk, pregnant clients following community based nursing intervention.

The questions addressed were: (1) What is the effect of nurse-client visitation on antenatal smoking behavior, above and beyond the effects of background variables? (a) Is there a differential effect of the nurse on antenatal smoking behavior? (b) What nurse visitation variables are most predictive of antenatal smoking behavior? (c) Do the nurses differ with regard to characteristics of their visits? (d) What are the effects of certain background characteristics on antenatal smoking behavior?; in particular, the effects of maternal demographic, psychological, and social support variables. (2) What factors distinguish those clients whose smoking behavior improves, from those whose smoking behavior does not improve following nurse home intervention?.

These questions were answered utilizing secondary analysis of previously collected clinical data derived from a multi-focused intervention study with 216 high risk, pregnant clients. Multiple regression and zero order correlations were utilized to analyze the data. The major finding of the study was that the only variable to emerge as a significant predictor of smoking behavior during the eighth month of pregnancy was the level of smoking at the beginning of pregnancy. Statistically significant differences emerged among the nurses with respect to two visitation characteristics: the percent of time spent by the nurse on home-based education, and the percent of nurse cancelled visits. Among the background variables, higher levels of grandmother support were associated with a decrease in smoking behavior. Two zero order correlations were associated with a decrease in smoking behavior. These included a greater percent of time spent on home based education by the nurse, and higher levels of grandmother support.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-04, Section: B, page: 1153.

Thesis (ED.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER, 1984.

School code: 0188.