Knowledge, attitudes and practices of pregnant women regarding tobacco and alcohol use in pregnancy at Mariental Clinic, Hardap region, Namibia

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Date
2024
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Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
Globally, alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy is considered a challenge and has been linked to negative effects on a person’s health and wellbeing. The Mariental Hospital's maternity records 2019 revealed that 76 of the 443 women who gave birth claimed that they had drunk alcohol or smoked tobacco during their pregnancy. In addition, in 2019 it was noted that 6 % of premature babies were delivered to mothers who smoked during pregnancy, and 25 percent of premature babies were born to mothers who consumed alcohol during pregnancy. The main aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of pregnant women attending antenatal care at Mariental clinic regarding the use of tobacco and alcohol in pregnancy. The study adopted a quantitative research approach with a descriptive, cross-sectional, analytical design. The study population were all pregnant women aged 18 years and above attending antenatal care at Mariental clinic during the study period. Informed consent was obtained from all respondents prior to data collection. The data was collected from 211 respondents who were selected through a systematic sampling method. The data was analysed by means of Statistical Package of the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. Fisher’s Exact test at 0.05 alpha level was used to determine the association between variables. Only marital status showed a significant association with the attitudes towards alcohol use (p=0.042). Educational levels showed a significant association with practices towards tobacco smoking (p=0.042). The majority 92 (43.6%) of respondents were aged between 18-24 years, while 186 (88.15%) of the respondents were single. The findings indicated that 148 (70.1%) had high levels of knowledge towards smoking during pregnancy. About 165 (78.2%) respondents showed a positive attitude towards alcohol use during pregnancy. A total of 63 (29.86%) respondents were classified as having bad practices towards alcohol ii use in pregnancy. A total of 21 (10.0%) respondents were classified as having bad practices towards tobacco use in pregnancy. The study concluded that pregnant women exhibited a significant amount of awareness regarding the impacts of alcohol and tobacco usage during pregnancy. Additionally, the participants displayed favourable attitudes towards abstaining from alcohol and tobacco consumption during pregnancy. The study recommends that the Ministry of Health and Social Services develops guidelines and policies on preventative measures and awareness programs on tobacco and alcohol use during pregnancy
Description
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of master in nursing science
Keywords
Tobacco use, Alcohol use, Pregnant women, Namibia
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