The Effect of Education Provided Through Online Flashcards During the Postpartum Period on Women's Perceived Barriers and Attitudes Toward Family Planning: An Experimental Four Solomon Group Design

AIM: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of family planning education provided through online flashcards during the postpartum period on women's perceived barriers and attitudes. METHODS: This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial using the Solomon four-group design. The study sample consisted of 133 postpartum women who met the inclusion criteria and were recruited from the postpartum clinics (Intervention 1 = 33, Intervention 2 = 32, Control 1 = 33, Control 2 = 35). An online educational programme on contraceptive methods suitable for the breastfeeding period was delivered in the Intervention 1 and Intervention 2 groups via WhatsApp using digital flashcards. Three measurements were conducted for the Intervention 1 and Control 1 groups: a pretest before the education, a posttest immediately after the education and a follow-up posttest 1 month later. The other two groups did not undergo a pretest. RESULTS: The education provided through online flashcards resulted in a statistically significant change in the perceived barriers to contraceptive use and family planning attitude scores among women in the Intervention 1 group. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate that education delivered through online flashcards during the postpartum period positively influenced women's perceived barriers to contraceptive use and their attitudes toward family planning. These results suggest that online flashcards may serve as an effective and accessible educational tool to support family planning in the postpartum period. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06052215.