Awareness and understanding of COVID-19 among pregnant woman in Northern India

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has become a public health concern worldwide. It is important for pregnant women to know about the mode of transmission, symptoms, and preventive measures against COVID-19. The aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness and outlook of pregnant women and practical measures taken by them against COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted for 1 month (June 10, 2020– July 10, 2020) in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. A prevalidated questionnaire was given to 109 pregnant women to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice acquired against COVID-19 infection. The Chi-square test or Fischer's exact test was used to compare categorical data. RESULTS: Among 109 participants, 103 (94.5%) had good knowledge, 4 (3.7%) had average knowledge and 2 (1.8%) had poor knowledge about COVID-19. Majority of them had a positive attitude for the protective measures taken for the prevention of disease. CONCLUSIONS: Since there is no valid treatment for COVID-19, prevention is the only key to curve this infection. In the present study, 94.5% pregnant women had overall good knowledge score about the mode of transmission, symptoms, and preventive measures against COVID-19.

Keywords

• awareness
• covid-19
• pregnancy
• preventive measures
• severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2