THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PREMARITAL HEALTH COUNSELING ON INTEREST IN DELAYING HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY AMONG PROSPECTIVE REPRODUCTIVE-AGE COUPLES UNDER 20 YEARS OLD AT KEDABURAPAT PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER, MERANTI ISLANDS REGENCY

Iis Susianti (Institut Kesehatan dan Teknologi Al Insyirah)
Komaria Susanti (Institut Kesehatan dan Teknologi Al Insyirah)

KOLABORASI: Journal of Multidisciplinary
Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026): February

Pregnancy under 20 years is a high-risk condition because adolescents are not yet biologically, psychologically, and socioeconomically mature. This study examined the effectiveness of premarital health counseling in increasing interest in delaying high-risk pregnancy among prospective couples of childbearing age under 20 years at Kedaburapat Public Health Center, Meranti Islands Regency. A quantitative quasi-experimental design with a one-group pretest–posttest approach was used. The population comprised 40 women of childbearing age under 20 years, and 11 participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using univariate and bivariate analysis with the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Before counseling, 63.6% of respondents had high interest and 36.4% had low interest. After counseling, all respondents showed high interest. The mean score increased from 24.18 to 41.45, with p = 0.003. Premarital health counseling was effective in increasing interest in delaying high-risk pregnancy.