The present study found that single-child women's desire to have children increased significantly following the multimedia educational intervention. The educational intervention affected the positive and negative aspects of the desire to have children, so that the score of the desire to have children in the intervention group increased immediately after the intervention and six weeks after the intervention.
Many studies have been conducted regarding childbearing and the effect of education on the desire to have children has been reported in the studies (26, 27). The results of the study by Akbarian-Moghadam et al., which was conducted with the aim of determining the impact of training based on the theory of planned behavior, It showed that the changes in the desire to have children from the stage before the intervention in the intervention group, immediately after the training and one month after the training, were significantly more than the control group (28), which is consistent with the results of the present study. Also, Williamson et al., in a study that aimed to determine the effect of providing fertility information on fertility knowledge and the intention to delay childbearing, They showed that giving information to people in the field of fertility had an effect on their desire (29). Also, Danilak et al found in an intervention study that online education has improved women's and men's views on childbearing (30). Alami et al.'s research examined the influence of the theory of planned behavior-based educational intervention on single-child women's reproductive intention. The training programme significantly increased the desire score of experimental group women to have children (31). In another study conducted by Ansari Majd et al. to investigate the effect of a training program based on a meta-theoretical model on the attitude and stages of childbearing behavior change, the results showed that training leads to improvement of women's attitude and willingness to have children (21). With regard to the impact of education on childbearing, the findings of the aforementioned studies are consistent with those of the current investigation. Considering the effectiveness of multimedia educational intervention, it seems that it is possible to change people's attitudes and mental norms towards having children by identifying negative thoughts and distinguishing them from reality and showing happy parents with babies through videos and slides (32). In order to achieve this objective, the implementation of innovative and sophisticated pedagogical approaches, such as multimedia instruction, can significantly enhance individuals' knowledge, attitudes, and achievements across various disciplines (33, 34).
Creating a desire and a positive attitude towards having children will lead to having children earlier and with a larger number. While the desire and negative attitude in this regard is one of the factors that reduce the attempt to get pregnant. At the same time, the first important factor in the formation of intention and decision for fertility is attitude, and positive attitude is a prerequisite for positive intention for having children (35). Hence, educational interventions and measures aimed at encouraging women's intention to become pregnant should integrate an emphasis on this matter into their framework.
according to Vatanparast et al. The educational intervention did not significantly change the scores of attitude, mental norms, and perceived behavioral control on the intention to have children in single-child women (20), which is not consistent with the results of the present study. It appears that social, cultural, religious, and particularly economic conditions of the society are also influential in altering attitudes toward reproduction, in addition to educational interventions, which should be taken into account for improved outcomes.
Based on the results of the present study, the average score of the positive dimension of the desire to have children in the intervention group after increasing in the stage immediately after the intervention; In the stage of six weeks after the intervention, there was a relative decrease But the average score of six weeks later was still higher than before the intervention. that these changes were also true in the negative dimension. It seems that between the stage immediately after the intervention and six weeks after the intervention, the rapid effect of the education became weaker and other factors also had an impactTherefore, it can be said that having children is a multifactorial category that is associated with many challenges, And a combination of cultural, economic and social characteristics play a decisive and meaningful role in predicting the probability of having children among women (36).
One of the most significant decisions a couple can make is whether or not to have children; this decision is impacted by a variety of factors, including health, socioeconomic standing, well-being, and family tradition (37). Different studies have investigated different reasons and perspectives for the desire to have children. For example, in a study by Lee and Fan, the factors influencing the decision to have children were the need for a fixed income and the costs of raising children, the child's sexual preferences, and the parents' health (38).
Employment and occupational group desire to have children and creating a distance between them, strengthening job and financial security, social support for women to have children using the insurance system and favorable working conditions during pregnancy and after that affect the desire to have children (39). Based on the findings of Lokshik's study, social and psychological factors, including access to daycare, stable marital status, occupation and suitable residence, significantly influence the decision-making process of couples (40). As a result, in order to avert a further decline in fertility, demographic policies should prioritize quality of life and family employment, with a particular emphasis on infertile women, single-child women, and newlywed couples (20).
Additionally, one of the factors that influence childbearing is the age of marriage. The fertility rate is correlated with the age of the couple and the age at which they enter into matrimony, according to the findings of the studies. Pregnancy is currently deferred until the conclusion of a woman's reproductive period, for a variety of reasons, including an increase in the age of marriage and a rise in the social activities of women. Unfortunately, without taking any measures to get pregnant and without informing the couple about their fertility, the golden years of a woman's fertility will pass (41, 42).
Abbasi Shawazi and Khawaja Salehi found that women's desire to have children decreases with education and social activity. Because entering university and increasing education through changes in individual attitudes and beliefs and modern attitudes with increasing age of marriage and delay in childbirth affects fertility (43). On the other hand, there is a positive and significant relationship between legal protection and working women's desire to be fertile. Therefore, if population policies can implement programs that match the mother's role with women's continued education after marriage, it can be much more effective (44).
Research has indicated that the likelihood of a woman becoming pregnant in the near future is influenced by the perspective of her acquaintances and family members (45). As the positive effects of education will inevitably have an impact on other members of the family or society at large, it is critical that educational interventions give close attention to this aspect (46).
Based on the information provided, the factors that determine fertility desires in single-child women can be greatly influenced by different demographic and personal characteristics, including religion, nationality, general life values, attitude towards not having children, age, education, housing, and income.