Availability and Acceptance of Health Education Among Socially 'At Risk' Pregnant Women Attending Health Centres in Belfast

This study highlights the large number of pregnant women inBelfast who fall into the ‘at risk’ category basedon socioeconomic factors and suggests a need for greater emphasison health education by professionals in both the fields of healthand education in order to improve the knowledge and change theattitudes and behaviour of pregnant women; this could play animportant part in reducing infant mortality and handicap inour society. The study showed that neither patients nor health care teamssee health education as an integral part of antenatal and postnatalcare and that little impact has been made in encouraging patientsto plan their pregnancies, stop smoking and eat a more balanceddiet.