Creating an arts-integrated prenatal education course: An applied ethnographic approach to addressing the problem of pre and post-natal wellness in high-risk populations through the arts

This dissertation is an applied ethnographic study centered around an 8-week, arts-integrated prenatal education class offered to pregnant women in order to determine the perceptions of participants regarding the a) usefulness of such a course and b) their feelings of preparedness for labor and delivery and motherhood before and after the course is complete. A secondary objective of this study uses applied ethnography to explore ways in which artists might collaborate with healthcare providers in a collaborative way that integrates the arts with medical care and education in order to improve psychosocial variables which may impact the overall quality of prenatal care and education.