Mersal 2013.
| Methods | Experimental randomised controlled study evaluating effects of prenatal counselling on compliance with health promotion and teenage pregnancy outcomes in Egypt | |
| Participants | A sample of 86 teenage pregnant women attending the maternal and child health centre, with 43 mothers and their newborns in the control group and the other 43 mothers and newborns in the educational intervention group | |
| Interventions | Educational intervention: a prenatal counselling programme was designed by researchers and 3 to 4 sessions were conducted per pregnant woman. A pre‐test on knowledge about health promotion was conducted before counselling and a post‐test was conducted on all participants 3 months after the pre‐test. Pregnany outcome was assessed in 3 to 6 days at home post delivery (n = 47 pregnant teenagers) Control: participants were recruited from the same health centre; further details of their care were not provided (n = 46) |
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| Outcomes | Outcomes: knowledge regarding health promotion pre‐counselling and post‐counselling, pre‐counselling and post‐counselling compliance regarding aspects of health promotion (e.g. antenatal follow‐up, hygiene), pregnancy outcomes (gestational age at labour, type of delivery, full‐term/pre‐term baby, general condition of baby, birth weight, breastfeeding, umbilicus) | |
| Notes | Funding: no mention of funding | |
| Risk of bias | ||
| Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) | High risk | Comment: this is a randomised controlled study; however the randomisation process is not described |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Comment: insufficient information to permit judgement |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | Comment: insufficient information to permit judgement |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | Comment: insufficient information to permit judgement |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes | Low risk | Quote: "4 were excluded from the study group and 3 from the controls owing to incomplete data" Comment: explanation was included; attrition 7.5% |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Unclear risk | Comment: this is not a registered trial; outcomes mentioned in the methods section are reported in the results section |
| Other bias | Low risk | Study seems to be free from other biases |