Preconception Health of Youth

The objective of the project is to develop curricula and digital teaching and learning methods over Europe. The aim is to build a new, innovative digital library which both teachers and students can use. The overall object is fertility protection and prevention of inadvertent infertility among young adults.

Since the age of pregnant women is increasing throughout Europe it is of crucial importance to preserve their conception ability in their late 30s. Therefore, it is time to bring lifelong fertility education to a new level by creating tools for educators. This project will bridge the gap in health education; now the youth are not being continuously counselled until they decide it is time for a child. Preconception health is recognised as a critical component of health development of women and men in the reproductive age. Preconception health and care (PCHC) focus on men and women before pregnancy. The years before pregnancy are of great importance to fertility, healthy pregnancy and health of the baby.
Young adults (aged 18-40) postpone having children without proper knowledge of how age and cumulative health problems and lifestyle choices (obesity, substance abuse, smoking, inactivity, diseases) reduce natural fertility. Infertility treatments and pregnancy complications increase and the number of children in families remains lower than hoped for. The birth rate decreases and some couples remain childless against their will. Delayed parenthood can be a choice for the couples with better income, but socioeconomic problems, educational and cultural inequality may play their part in the inability of couples to receive reliable information to support their decisions and lifestyle choices. Good fertility health is in the core of health development even if the choice is not to have children.
In this project we intend to develop necessary information and training for health professionals to be equipped for adequate counselling. We will also develop innovative digital educational material, ia a handbook which builds a sustainable and flexible system that allows distance learning and independent learning or can be offered as a module or integrated into many subjects in the studies for nurses, midwives, public health nurses and school nurses.
The answer to bridge the gaps in education and health promotion guidance is to develop health professionals' education. As the result of this project our new approach will lead to a comprehensive European PCHC model for teaching and learning preconception health and care in health care education at higher education level.
The PCHC model will frame the content, delimit the area of PCHC and define the elements of PCHC. Later it will serve as a guide to plan the content, teaching strategies and learning outcomes of PCHC. The PCHC model and its elements can be a framework for a course or the content of the PCHC model can be integrated into other subjects. All products will be available in a digital open access community platform and can also be used in distance learning courses.
The partners will develop innovative digital tools for teaching this subject and e-learning activity packages for independent studies and distance learning. The e-learning packages can also be used as pre-studies if learning is guided according to the flipped classroom method.
This project will create a digital platform, community of best practices, a type of website where discussion, sharing and publishing will take place and evolve and it will serve as an open access forum for the participants. Later it will offer an open access for all. It will also be a digital library where teachers can pick up content for their teaching.
Each participating country's sexual and reproductive statistics will improve because of increased fertility awareness, which leads to healthier pregnancies and less complications. The birth rate may also increase when natural fertility is protected. Financial benefits can be enormous when people understand the meaning of good preconception health and right timing of pregnancy. The number of vain fertility treatments will decrease, women are healthier and have less complications during pregnancy, and the most important result is that new-born babies have the best start to their lives. At the personal level hidden worries, sorrow and conflicts in families will be avoided.