The Effectiveness of Prenatal Classes on Reducing Anxiety Levels in First-Time Pregnant Mothers in the Telaga Dewa Public Health Center Area, Bengkulu City

Abstract

Anxiety and depression during pregnancy are quite common, with a prevalence of around 12.5-42%, and it's even estimated that these disorders could become the second leading cause of illness by 2020. The aim of this study was to find out the effectiveness of prenatal classes in reducing anxiety levels in first-time pregnant women in the Telaga Dewa Community Health Center area in Bengkulu City. This research is a quantitative pre-experimental study with a one-group pretest-posttest design. The sample consisted of 24 patients, using accidental sampling, and the measurement tool was a questionnaire. Data analysis was done using the paired t-test with a significance level of α 0.05. 

The analysis showed that more than half of the respondents (54.2%) had moderate anxiety levels before attending the prenatal classes, and almost all respondents (91.7%) had mild anxiety levels after the prenatal classes, showing a very effective result. if prenatal classes reduce anxiety levels in first-time pregnant mothers in the working area of Telaga Dewa Health Center, Bengkulu City with a p-value of 0.000 ≤ 0.005. Recommendations for the Health Center are to include prenatal yoga sessions in the class curriculum, provide special materials on anxiety management and mental health, consider using hypnobirthing techniques in the maternity classes, and provide supporting media such as booklets or self-guided yoga tutorial videos that can be taken home so mothers can continue to relax at home.