CONSUMPTION AND SECOND-DEGREE PERINEAL WOUND HEALING IN POSTPARTUM WOMEN: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Second-degree perineal wounds are commonly experienced by women following vaginal birth and require optimal healing to restore tissue integrity and maternal comfort. Adequate protein intake plays an important role in tissue regeneration and wound repair. Snakehead fish (Channa striata) is a protein-rich food source that may support tissue recovery. Objective: To compare second-degree perineal wound-healing outcomes between postpartum women receiving structured provision of snakehead fish (Channa striata) and a control group receiving usual postpartum care without the study food intervention. Methods: This quasi-experimental study used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. A total of 30 postpartum women with second-degree perineal wounds participated in the study, consisting of 15 participants in the intervention group and 15 in the control group. The intervention group received structured provision of 300 g of cooked snakehead fish daily for 7 consecutive days, while the control group received usual postpartum care without study-provided snakehead fish. Wound healing was assessed using the REEDA scale. Data were analysed using the Mann–Whitney U test and Fisher–Freeman–Halton exact test with α = 0.05. Results: At the final assessment, 14 participants (93.3%) in the intervention group had a REEDA score of 0, compared with only 2 participants (13.3%) in the control group. The median final REEDA score was 0 (IQR 0–0) in the intervention group and 4 (IQR 3–5) in the control group. The Mann–Whitney U test demonstrated a statistically significant difference in final REEDA scores between the groups (U = 18.0; p < 0.001; |r_rb| = 0.84). A significant difference was also found in wound-healing categories (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Assignment to structured snakehead-fish provision for 7 consecutive days was associated with better final healing of second-degree perineal wounds among postpartum women in this study. Snakehead fish may be considered a protein-rich food source to support perineal wound recovery during the postpartum period.