Zoe F Cairncross1, Saranyah Ravindran1, Shaira Yoganathan2, Cindy-Lee Dennis3,4,5,6, Joanne Enders7, Lisa Graves8, Catriona Mill7,9, Deanna Telner10, Hilary K Brown1,2,3. 1. 1 Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 2. 2 Interdisciplinary Centre for Health & Society, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 3. 3 Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 4. 4 Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 5. 5 Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 6. 6 Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 7. 7 Ontario Public Health Association Reproductive Health Workgroup, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 8. 8 Department of Family and Community Medicine, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI, USA. 9. 9 Toronto Public Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 10. 10 Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Preconception health is an important determinant of maternal, paternal, and infant outcomes. Knowledge is commonly used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to promote preconception health. Our objective was to examine how preconception health knowledge has been measured in the existing literature and to identify measurement gaps, biases, and logistical challenges. DATA SOURCE: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and gray literature were searched from database inception to January 2018. STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies were included if they measured preconception or interconception health knowledge and included reproductive-aged women and/or men. DATA EXTRACTION: Two independent reviewers completed data extraction and quality appraisal using standardized instruments. DATA SYNTHESIS: Due to measurement heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis was performed. RESULTS: The review included 34 studies from 14 countries with data collected in 2000 to 2017. Most studies used cross-sectional (n = 24) or prepost designs (n = 7). Studies primarily sampled women (n = 25), and methodological quality was rated largely as weak (n = 18) or moderate (n = 14). Preconception health knowledge tools focused on fertility, folic acid, and alcohol, with few questions pertaining to men's health, mental health, or the interconception period. Only 19 (56%) studies reported psychometric properties of their knowledge tools. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review revealed the need for a valid and reliable knowledge tool that reflects a holistic conceptualization of preconception health.
OBJECTIVE: Preconception health is an important determinant of maternal, paternal, and infant outcomes. Knowledge is commonly used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to promote preconception health. Our objective was to examine how preconception health knowledge has been measured in the existing literature and to identify measurement gaps, biases, and logistical challenges. DATA SOURCE: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and gray literature were searched from database inception to January 2018. STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies were included if they measured preconception or interconception health knowledge and included reproductive-aged women and/or men. DATA EXTRACTION: Two independent reviewers completed data extraction and quality appraisal using standardized instruments. DATA SYNTHESIS: Due to measurement heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis was performed. RESULTS: The review included 34 studies from 14 countries with data collected in 2000 to 2017. Most studies used cross-sectional (n = 24) or prepost designs (n = 7). Studies primarily sampled women (n = 25), and methodological quality was rated largely as weak (n = 18) or moderate (n = 14). Preconception health knowledge tools focused on fertility, folic acid, and alcohol, with few questions pertaining to men's health, mental health, or the interconception period. Only 19 (56%) studies reported psychometric properties of their knowledge tools. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review revealed the need for a valid and reliable knowledge tool that reflects a holistic conceptualization of preconception health.
Entities:
Keywords:
interconception health; knowledge; measurement tools; preconception health