Does the provision of a native language maternity information DVD for non-English-speaking Somali women improve their knowledge of maternity care in a manner that they find acceptable and useful?

Abstract

Introduction:
It is well documented in the literature that many Somali women living in the UK do not speak English and have poor access to maternity services because of communication and language barriers. This project was designed to determine knowledge change and women’s acceptance of a maternity information Digital Video Disk (DVD), developed for non-English-speaking Somali women using a social marketing approach.

Objectives of the Study:
1. To identify and recruit Somali women who do not speak English.
2. To test the participants’ knowledge of maternity services before and after watching the Somali maternity information DVD.
3. To assess whether the DVD was a useful and acceptable information format for Somali women by interviewing the participants during the postnatal period.
4. To note any change of behaviour linked to maternity care as a result of this study.

Method:
The theoretical framework for this project is based on the principles of social marketing. The knowledge change, acceptability and usefulness of a maternity information DVD, specifically developed for Somali women, were explored using a mixed data collection method (pre- and post-DVD viewing knowledge tests and post-natal semi-structured interviews). Fourteen Somali women completed every aspect of this study.

Findings and Discussion:
It was evident that most Somali women who took part in this study lacked knowledge of maternity information. This was demonstrated by the variance (6.7) between the pre- and post-DVD knowledge tests’ scores of the participants in this study. The participants explained that the information and knowledge they received from the DVD raised their awareness and empowered them to make informed choices and decisions. As a result of the findings from this study, a new application of the concept of cultural safety in maternity care was developed, illustrating how use of a relevant DVD may enhance maternity cultural safety.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, the study has shown that the provision of a native language maternity information DVD to non-English-speaking Somali women improved their knowledge of maternity care in a manner that they found acceptable and useful.

Recommendations:
The DVD should be rolled out to a wider community and evaluated. YouTube or other similar media could be used to disseminate this further. Cultural safety should become part of education and training of health professionals and included in local and national policies. Furthermore, as this study was a pre-test of the DVD, there is a need for further research using a comparison group, preferably controlled.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Elizabeth Cluett: orcid.org/0000-0002-8707-5042

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