Abstract

Counseling during antenatal and early postnatal periods is a key strategy to improve maternal nutrition, adequate rest, birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR), and postpartum family planning uptake. However, evidence on the combined impact of a structured knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP)- based counseling package at the facility level remains limited in many settings. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of structured KAP-based counseling on maternal nutrition practices, rest and birth preparedness, and uptake of postpartum family planning methods. A pre-post interventional study was conducted among pregnant women attending an antenatal health check-up camp at an urban primary health center, Chitradurga, Karnataka. Baseline KAP assessment was carried out using a pre-tested questionnaire, followed by delivery of a structured counseling package focusing on nutrition, rest, BPCR and family planning. End-line assessment was conducted at late pregnancy. Changes in knowledge scores and practices were analyzed using paired t-test (p

Key words: Antenatal care, Birth preparedness, KAP counseling, Maternal nutrition, Postpartum family planning