The Effect of Experiential Classroom on Establishing Healthy Behaviors During Pregnancy

Adverse pregnancy outcomes, including maternal complications (eg, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia (PE), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), placental abruption) and fetal complications (eg, preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction, large for gestational age (LGA), small for gestational age (SGA), macrosomia) , pose a significant public healthy problem which needs to be addressed. Several studies found that the health status and behaviors of mothers during pregnancy, including dietary patterns, physical activity and emotional well-being, not only affect pregnancy outcomes such as GDM and PE, but also have the long-term implications for the health of the offspring. Therefore, through effective preconception education, helping pregnant women establish healthy behaviors during pregnancy is of great significance in reducing the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, traditional educational methods, mostly in the form of face-to-face lectures, have proven to be ineffective. On the other hand, experiential classroom emphasizes putting pregnant women at the center, based on their subjective willingness and previous knowledge and experience, creating an environment for free discussion, exchange, and reflection, and utilizing peer education to fully mobilize the subjective initiative of pregnant women. This approach allows them to explore, discuss, reflect, and learn autonomously, aiming to truly absorb, master, and apply theoretical knowledge. Therefore, to explore the impact of experiential classroom on the establishment of healthy behaviors during pregnancy, we conducted a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial. The study included pregnant women aged 20 and above, married, with singleton pregnancies in early pregnancy, who were randomly assigned to either the experiential classroom group or the routine prenatal care group. Both groups received routine prenatal care. The pregnant women in the personalized exercise guidance group learned about perinatal health knowledge under the guidance of multidisciplinary teachers and were supervised and managed through WeChat groups. The primary outcome measure was the total weight gain during pregnancy.