University of Malawi, Kamuzu College of Nursing, P.O. Box 415, Blantyre Campus, Blantyre, Malawi.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2020 Nov 16;20(1):699. doi: 10.1186/s12884-020-03386-w.
Adolescent pregnancy is a public health concern in Malawi as it is associated with high risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Almost 29% of adolescent women aged 15-19 years are already mothers and adolescent fertility rate is also high estimated at 136 per 1000 women. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore knowledge of pregnant adolescents on importance of antenatal care and health promotion during pregnancy.
A qualitative descriptive design was used to solicit information on significance of antenatal care and how adolescents promote their health during pregnancy. Data was collected from 77 pregnant adolescents, purposively sampled from Namitambo and Namadzi Heath Centres in Chiladzulu District, Malawi. A semi-structured interview guide was used for data collection. Data were analysed manually following principles of qualitative content analysis.
Themes that emerged from the qualitative data included: knowledge deficit on the purpose and benefits of antenatal care; knowledge deficit on services offered at antenatal care clinic; knowledge deficit on danger signs during antenatal period and antenatal emergency care; knowledge deficit on effects of alcohol and smoking; knowledge deficit on nutrition during pregnancy; and knowledge deficit on importance of rest during pregnancy.
This study has shown knowledge deficit among adolescent mothers that may contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes. Several factors could be attributed to such knowledge deficit. Therefore, healthcare systems and healthcare professionals have a responsibility to enhance health literacy of pregnant adolescents with an ultimate goal of improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes.
少女怀孕是马拉维的一个公共卫生关注点，因为它与不良妊娠结局的高风险有关。将近 29%的 15-19 岁少女已经是母亲，青少年生育率也很高，估计为每 1000 名妇女中有 136 名。因此，这项研究的目的是探讨怀孕少女对产前保健重要性和怀孕期间促进健康的认识。
采用定性描述设计，从马拉维奇拉祖卢区纳米塔博和纳米达齐保健中心有目的地抽取 77 名怀孕少女，以获取关于产前保健意义以及青少年如何在怀孕期间促进自身健康的信息。使用半结构化访谈指南进行数据收集。按照定性内容分析的原则，手动分析数据。
定性数据中出现的主题包括：对产前保健的目的和益处的知识不足；对产前保健诊所提供的服务的知识不足；对产前期间和产前紧急护理的危险信号的知识不足；对酒精和吸烟的影响的知识不足；对怀孕期间营养的知识不足；以及对怀孕期间休息重要性的知识不足。
这项研究表明，少女母亲存在知识不足的情况，这可能导致妊娠结局不佳。造成这种知识不足的因素有很多。因此，医疗保健系统和医疗保健专业人员有责任提高怀孕少女的健康素养，最终目标是改善母婴健康结局。
