Premium
An Online Study of Undergraduates’ Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitudes of Preconception Care
Author(s) -
Crusenberry Kelly Jean,
Colby Sarah E,
Spence Marsha L,
Murphy Lee T,
Kavanagh Katie F
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.895.3
Subject(s) - medicine , family medicine , health care , cross sectional study , pregnancy , pathology , biology , economics , genetics , economic growth
The majority of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. Health status and health‐related behaviors such as poor nutrition, alcohol consumption, and/or tobacco use, occurring prior to conception, have been linked to poor obstetric outcomes for mothers and their offspring, many of which can result in lifelong challenges. Knowledge, awareness, and attitudes can be predictors of health‐related behaviors, and preconception care and education may reduce risk of some of these poor obstetric outcomes. Undergraduate students are at an increased risk for many of these behaviors and for unplanned pregnancies, as compared to older individuals. However, little is known about under graduates’ knowledge, awareness, and attitudes related to optimal preconception behaviors. The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, awareness, and attitudes of undergraduate students, related to preconception care, and to explore potential differences by gender, age, sexual activity status, weight status, and other demographic factors. This was an online, cross‐sectional survey, conducted among students enrolled in a basic undergraduate nutrition course, during the first week of class and prior to exposure to content specifically relevant to preconception behaviors. The survey measured knowledge, awareness, and attitudes of pregnancy‐related issues and preconception care. Students received a small amount of extra credit for completion of the survey and all activities were approved by the university's Institutional Review Board prior to implementation. Sixty‐nine of the eighty‐six students enrolled in the course completed the survey. No significant relationships were found between gender, age, sexual activity, weight status, and other demographic factors (such as class standing and prior exposure course content related to pregnancy) and knowledge, awareness, or attitudes about preconception care. However, students demonstrated limited knowledge of issues related to preconception health, with an average composite knowledge score of 50% (on a scale of 0–100). The data revealed students were least informed about the use of herbal supplements and appropriate rate of pregnancy weight gain (with 30% and 35% responding correctly, respectively). However, students appeared well‐informed regarding dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the recommendation to visit with an obstetrician prior to becoming pregnant (with 88–93% responding correctly to the 2 alcohol‐related questions and 78% responding correctly to the consultative visit question). Because a post‐assessment was not conducted following completion of the online course, it is unknown if knowledge improved in this sample, and this should be a component of future work. However, it is evident that baseline knowledge in this sample of undergraduate students was limited, even among those reporting prior exposure via formal coursework, indicating future research in this area is needed.