[On the value of "informational evening classes for mothers and fathers" within the scope of prenatal care].

In 1989, the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University of Cologne, questioned the 288 participants of the "informative evenings for mothers and fathers", a primarily preventive measure offered as a preparation for childbirth. The survey aimed at reviewing these evenings, i.e. to make a critical and exact evaluation of their usefulness and quality as one of the numerous events offered to expectant mothers. The following results were obtained: The women who visited the informative evenings were mostly pregnant for the first time, educated above average, for the most part working women and of German nationality. Their attitude towards preventive measures, i.e. regular check-ups during pregnancy as well as smoking behaviour, the wish to breast-feed and the attendance of other birth preparation courses, is well founded. Consequently, this group of women can be described as a highly selected. Their motivation to come to the evenings resulted mostly from the wish to obtain specific clinical information, to become familiar with the maternity ward, to meet midwives and doctors, in order to lose some of their fears and to increase confidence. Contents and structure of these evenings were mostly able to meet the expectations of the visitors. Unsatisfactory, however, was the low number of foreign woman, those with difficult pregnancies and women of a low social status i.e. patients, who above all, need intensive assistance and attention.