ENHANCING RISK PERCEPTIONS AND KNOWLEDGE IN WOMEN WITH RISK PREGNANCIES: EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION

<strong>Objective: </strong>We aimed to determine the risk perceptions of women with risky pregnancies. This study aimed to enhance and reevaluate their risk perceptions after providing education about their risks. <strong>Material and Methods: </strong>This educational intervention study aimed to engage 336 pregnant women out of a 2,664 population with high-risk pregnancies in Adıyaman, Türkiye. In total, 444 pregnant women participated in the study. Participants completed the sociodemographic questionnaires, a pregnancy risk perception assessment, and a knowledge assessment related to pregnancy risks. The questionnaires were administered twice: once before the educational intervention and again 2-4 weeks after the intervention, allowing us to measure the effectiveness of the education. <strong>Results:</strong> After the educational intervention, pregnant women demonstrated a significant increase in both their risk knowledge and risk perception scores (p&lt;0.001). Furthermore, we observed a positive correlation between knowledge scores and age (p&lt;0.001) as well as first gestational age (p&lt;0.001), while a negative correlation was found with gestational age (p=0.003). Additionally, a positive correlation emerged between the risk perception score and age (p=0.008) and the number of obstetrician visits (p=0.024). <strong>Conclusion: </strong>To enhance the risk perception, it is crucial to provide them with specialised education on this subject. This is imperative because every woman with a high-risk pregnancy is not only vulnerable to maternal mortality but also places her infant at a higher risk of infant mortality.