The focus of this research is on the improvement of perinatal health in South Africa from a nursing perspective. Research is focusing on two broad areas, namely standards for antenatal care and perinatal education. Generic standards for antenatal care have already been developed and are currently being refined and tested on local level. Not only do these standards aim to improve the quality of antenatal care, but also focus on empowering registered nurses and midwives to render relevant and scientifically sound antenatal care that meets the needs of the community. Furthermore, it enables nurses and midwives to evaluate and improve the care rendered. On institutional level, it serves as a guideline for accreditation of health care services. External collaboration with various institutions is planned. A first project to evaluate the standard of antenatal care has already been completed. The second component in this research field is perinatal education. Standards for perinatal education are currently being developed by using a grounded theory approach. Within this research field the focus also falls on teenage pregnancies; a world-wide problem. Endeavours to reduce the prevalence of this phenomenon do not seem to be successful, most probably because of the complexity thereof. Given the reality of teenage pregnancies in South Africa, the focus should fall on programmes to improve the health of these young women. In a phenomenological study, within the framework of the Health Belief model, the experience of teenage pregnancies is being explored and described so as to ensure more relevant and effective health promotion strategies. A second project focused on reasons why teenagers stopped using contraception. Ways in which men support their partners during childbirth seem to be an important factor in the health of families in the long term. Communities in South Africa are often described as being within a cultural transition phase. Research into how fathers see their support role in this regard stems from a first world background and seems to be of limited value to the midwife in South Africa. Focus groups were used to explore the views of fathers in a rural community regarding their role during childbirth