Journal Article

Knowledge of pre-conception health and planned pregnancy among married women in Jinka town, southern Ethiopia and factors influencing knowledge

Fikadu, Kassahun, Wasihun, Biresaw, Yimer, Osman

2022

Overview

Optimizing women's health and knowledge of preconception healthcare before conceiving a pregnancy decreases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, preconception health care is one of the missing pillars in the continuum of maternal and child health care in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess knowledge of pre-conception health, its relation to planned pregnancy, parity, family planning use, and education among married women in Southern Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted with 337 married women recruited from March 25 to April 30, 2018 in Jinka town. A simple random sampling technique was employed and the data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis involved calculating frequencies, percentages, and logistic regression. Associations were assessed using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals with statistical significance determined at a p-value < 0.05. The overall women's preconception health care knowledge score in this study was 55.2%, which is a moderate score. In multivariable analyses, women's secondary level of education [AOR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.13-4.87], family planning use [AOR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.37-4.87], planned pregnancy [AOR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1.35-7.44], Nullyparity [AOR = 21.2; 95% CI = 4.92-91.5], and market trade vendors [AOR = 2.5; 95%CI = 1.06-6.03], were significantly associated with knowledge of preconception health care. The findings show that women's knowledge of preconception health care is moderate. Women's knowledge of preconception health care can be linked to their level of education, use of family planning methods, pregnancy planning, and Nullyparity. Therefore, the government and other key stakeholders need to develop a specific education package that improves women's knowledge of preconception care and pregnancy planning, taking into account factors such as levels of education and literacy when designing implementation strategies.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Age / Alcohol / Birth weight / Childrens health / Community health care / Confidence intervals / Data analysis / Data collection / Domestic relations / Earth Sciences / Education / Evaluation / Family planning / Health aspects / Health care / Health care policy / Health risks / Knowledge / Low income groups / Management / Married women / Maternal & child health / Medicine and Health Sciences / Methods / People and Places / Population / Pregnancy / Questionnaires / Random sampling / Risk reduction / Sampling techniques / Social Sciences / Sociodemographics / Standard scores / Statistical analysis / Statistical sampling / Womens health