Comparison of effects of home visits and routine postpartum care on the healthy behaviors of Iranian low-risk mothers.

Background: Postpartum care at home is a post delivery care method that can be provided by public health nurses, trained health workers, or midwifery nurses. A study conducted to compare effect of two midwife visits at home to usual postpartum care on the healthy behaviors of low-risk Iranian mothers.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial conducted on 200 mothers at a reference center for screening for infant hypothyroidism in Tehran. Mothers were randomized to either home-based (n = 100) or routine-based postpartum care (n = 100). Each mother and her neonate received two cares. Home-based cares were provided by a midwife in the intervention group. Postpartum cares in the control group were provided by care providers of primary health care system. Healthy behavior was measured using a validated and reliable researcher made instrument. The data were analyzed using independent sample t-tests, paired t-test, and χ(2)-test.

Results: The data showed that a significant number of subjects in the control group did not receive their postpartum care (P < 0.001). The mean score of maternal healthy behaviors in the intervention group increased from 120.5 (SE = 0.76) to 148.9 (SE = 1.02) (P < 0.001) and in the control group from 119.9 (SE = 1.06) to 140.9 (SE = 1.08) (P < 0.001). The mean score of maternal healthy behaviors in the intervention group had significant differences with that in the control group at the end of study (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Early postpartum care at home by trained midwives can be positively effective for improving maternal healthy behaviors in less developed countries.