Objectives: to explore the effects of a group health education programme on the childbearing knowledge, attitude, and behaviours among Southeast Asian immigrant women in Taiwan. Design: a quasi-experimental design with convenience sampling was used. Setting: participants living in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan, were randomly divided by districts into either the experimental group or the control group. Participants: one hundred Southeast Asian immigrant women were recruited as research participants. Among the 100 participants, 50 were in the experimental group and 50 were in the control group. A total of 99 participants completed the entire research procedure. Methods: a structured interview was used to evaluate the effects of a group health education programme. Measurements: the interview consisted of four measurements: the Demographic Inventory Scale, the Childbearing Knowledge Scale, the Childbearing Attitude Scale, and the Childbearing Planning Scale. Findings: after employing the group health education intervention, statistically significant changes from the pre-test to the post-test were found in the experimental group's scores for the Childbearing Knowledge Scale (P<0.0001), the Childbearing Attitude Scale (P<0.01), and the Childbearing Planning Scale (P<0.0001). The study's results indicated that providing education through group learning with guidance and support in childbearing health significantly improved Southeast Asian immigrant women's childbearing health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. Conclusion: an appropriate, community-based group health education programme can create awareness for childbearing health among Southeast Asian immigrant women in Taiwan and improve their childbearing attitudes and behaviours. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Group health education Childbearing health Taiwan Southeast Asian immigrant women

birth controlled clinical trial psychological aspect methodology Community Health Services community care human statistics controlled study randomized controlled trial social support ethnology Taiwan Patient Education as Topic Humans Emigrants and Immigrants Southeast Asia female Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice patient education women's health Article organization and management adult health education migration Parturition attitude to health Asia, Southeastern