Design: Cross-sectional descriptive survey.

Sample: The participants were sixty-six expectant fathers whose partners were experiencing their first pregnancy. They were recruited from Maternal-Child Health Centres of the Department of Health, and the Out-Patient Departments of public hospitals that provide prenatal care services in Hong Kong.

Method: The Sullivan Inventory for Learning Needs Assessment during Preconception, Pregnancy and Early Parenting (SILNAP) was used for data collection. Part one consisted of an inventory of topics about preconception, pregnancy, birth and early parenting which participants rated according to their relevance, competence, and motivation to learn using a three-point, Likert-type scale. Part two contained questions and resources which the men used to learn about preconception, pregnancy, birth and early parenting, the type of information they sought and their satisfaction with it, and the conditions under which they felt they learned best. Part three contained questions about their demographic characteristics.

Findings: The simple and complex learning needs, and the timing of their occurrence, during the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and the resources and conditions associated with their learning, were identified.

Conclusions: The SILNAP was effective in eliciting the learning needs of expectant fathers experiencing their partner’s normal, uncomplicated, first pregnancy.

Implications: The study represents the first systematic attempt to identify the learning needs, and the conditions of learning, of expectant Hong Kong Chinese fathers across all three trimesters of their partner’s pregnancy. Implications for modifying prenatal education to incorporate their learning needs, and to motivate their involvement in prenatal education, will be described.

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Sigma Theta Tau International
July 21, 2004