Podcast-Supported Prenatal Education Based on the Health Promotion Model

Pregnancy is an important period in which women experience substantial physical, psychological, and social changes that may influence their health behaviors, sense of empowerment, and quality of life. Prenatal education can support pregnant women in developing healthy lifestyle behaviors, making informed health-related decisions, and adapting to the changes associated with pregnancy. However, conventional prenatal education may be limited by time, accessibility, and the ability of women to review educational content at their own pace.

The Health Promotion Model provides a theoretical framework for understanding and supporting health-promoting behaviors by addressing individual characteristics, perceived benefits and barriers, self-efficacy, interpersonal influences, and situational factors. Integrating this model into prenatal education may help pregnant women recognize factors affecting their health behaviors and strengthen their ability to actively participate in decisions related to their health during pregnancy.

Podcasts may provide an accessible and flexible method for reinforcing prenatal education. Because podcast content can be listened to repeatedly and at a time and place convenient for the participant, it may facilitate continued engagement with educational information beyond scheduled online sessions. Combining structured online prenatal education with podcast-based reinforcement may therefore provide an innovative approach to supporting health promotion during pregnancy.

This study is designed to determine whether a prenatal education program based on the Health Promotion Model and supported by podcasts can improve pregnant women's empowerment, healthy lifestyle behaviors, and quality of life compared with routine prenatal care. The intervention is intended to provide structured educational content while reinforcing key messages through podcasts, reminders, and motivational communication throughout the intervention period.

• Podcast-Supported Prenatal Education Based on the Health Promotion Model (Behavioral): The intervention is a four-week online prenatal education program based on the Health Promotion Model. The program consists of eight educational modules delivered twice weekly. Each session provides structured prenatal education addressing health-promoting behaviors during pregnancy. Following each online education session, participants receive a podcast related to the session content to reinforce the educational messages and support learning outside the scheduled sessions. During the four-week intervention period, reminders to listen to the podcasts and motivational messages are sent to encourage continued participation and engagement with the program.

Primary outcomes

• Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours in Pregnancy Scale [Baseline (8-12 weeks of gestation), post-intervention (20 weeks of gestation), and follow-up (32 weeks of gestation).]: Description: Change in healthy lifestyle behaviours during pregnancy, measured using the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours in Pregnancy Scale, a 29-item, 5-point Likert-type scale with a total score ranging from 29 to 145. Higher scores indicate more positive healthy lifestyle behaviours during pregnancy.
• Pregnancy Related Empowerment Scale [Baseline (8-12 weeks of gestation), post-intervention (20 weeks of gestation), and follow-up (32 weeks of gestation).]: Description: Change in empowerment levels among pregnant women, measured using the Pregnancy-Related Empowerment Scale, a 13-item, 4-point Likert-type scale with a total score ranging from 13 to 52. Higher scores indicate higher levels of empowerment among pregnant women.
• Quality of Life in Pregnancy Scale (PREG-QOL) [Baseline (8-12 weeks of gestation), post-intervention (20 weeks of gestation), and follow-up (32 weeks of gestation).]: Description: Change in quality of life among pregnant women, measured using the Quality of Life in Pregnancy Scale (PREG-QOL), a 26-item scale with a total score ranging from 26 to 130. Thirteen items are reverse-scored. Higher scores indicate better quality of life among pregnant women.

Sex: Female, ages: 18 Years to 35 Years, accepts healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

* Are pregnant women aged 18-35 years;
* Have not been diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy;
* Have no hearing or visual impairment that would interfere with participation in the intervention;
* Are able to speak and understand Turkish;
* Have access to the internet; and
* Use a smartphone or tablet.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Are already participating in prenatal education at the hospital's pregnancy school;
* Do not complete the entire educational program;
* Are identified as having a maternal or fetal risk during the intervention period; or
* Indicate a desire to withdraw from the study at any stage.