Development of A Model for Building Health Literacy Skills to Preventing Preterm Birth among Pregnant Women Receive Prenatal Care Services Nong Song Hong Hospital, Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

Purpose : To develop a model for building health literacy skills regarding the prevention of preterm birth, and to study the outcomes of implementing this model among pregnant women attending prenatal care services.

Study design : Research & Development (R&D).

Material and Methods : The target group consisted of 122 newly registered pregnant women receiving prenatal care between June 2025 and February 2026. The research was conducted in four phases: 1) studying the current situation; 2) developing a model to build health literacy skills for the prevention of preterm birth; 3) piloting and refining the model; and 4) evaluating the outcomes of implementing the model. Research instruments included a medical record data collection form, an interview guide, and a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the paired-samples t-test.

Main finding : The model for developing health literacy skills comprises five dimensions: 1) accessing health information, 2) understanding, 3) inquiring and communicating, 4) decision-making, and 5) applying information. Activities for each dimension are designed to be interconnected and sequential. Following the implementation of the model, pregnant women demonstrated increased knowledge, health literacy skills, and behaviors for preventing preterm birth; self-care practices to prevent preterm birth improved significantly (p < .05) compared to pre-implementation levels. Nurses reported a high level of satisfaction with the model.

Conclusion and recommendation : The developed model for building health literacy regarding the prevention of preterm birth is suitable for the community hospital context, has gained acceptance from users and healthcare personnel, and effectively reduces the risk of preterm birth among pregnant women.