Educational Strategy for Motherhood and Fatherhood: an Experience of Implementation in Soraca, Colombia

Abstract Background Preconception education is one of the challenges in maternal and child health in Latin America, in countries such as Colombia. That is why the objective of the following research was to develop a pilot educational intervention aimed at pregnant and breastfeeding women, and their support network, to strengthen practices, skills and knowledge, for informed decision-making and the strengthening of self-care behaviors of women and childcare, beyond childbirth preparation in the municipality of Soraca, located in Boyacá, Colombia in 2017. Methods Quasi-experimental study with an intervention group (municipality of Soraca) and a control group (municipalities of Oicata and Sotaquira) which linked a process and impact evaluation to assess prioritized indicators in terms of maternal and child health and nutrition, before, during and after an educational intervention. Results The main results found that women considered the methodologies used in the educational sessions to be appropriate and relevant and recognized the importance of the call and home visit postpartum nurse. The strategy increased the involvement of the support network in training processes. In turn, the proportion of children who were breastfed was higher in the intervention group than in the control group (88% vs. 60% p = 0.037). The proportion of children who received a bottle was higher in the control group compared to the intervention group (57.1% vs. 16% p = 0.006). Conclusion Strategies such as the one developed in Soraca allow for improved health outcomes for the mother and child and their support network. The strategy 123 in Soraca was a clear example of how a prenatal educational intervention generates positive outcomes for mothers, infants, and their support networks in the areas of food and nutrition, emotional well-being, and physical health.