| Sumario: | Emphasis on family-centered maternity care has spread widely and classes offering preparation for childbirth are now found in communities throughout the country. There is however, a wide variation in the amount of knowledge which different women acquire about these subjects. Attitudes toward health and health practices have been found to be related to social class status and to education. There also appears to be some relationship between sources of health information used and both social class and educational level of the individual. This article presents information on a study conducted by the researchers to determine the extent to which the social position differentials just noted apply to childbirth information, and specifically, if there is a relationship between the sociological factors. A flexible interview guide was utilized in the collection of data. Interviews were conducted in the obstetrical service of a 1,000 bed general hospital affiliated with a large mid-western university. Few significant differences were found within the group on the basis of either education or age. There was a slight tendency for the high-age patients to obtain more information from all sources than the low-age group.
|
|---|