Changizi Nasrin, Eshraghi Nooshin, Ghafoori Faezeh, Hejazi Saiedeh, Hadipour Jahromy Leila, Farahani Zahra, Sharifi Hamid, Beheshtian Maryam
Maternal, Fetal, and Neonatal Research Center, Family Health Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Perinatology, Shahid Akbarabadi Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2023 Sep;49(9):2295-2303. doi: 10.1111/jog.15724. Epub 2023 Jul 11.
To control the spread of COVID-19, Iran has adopted rigorous precautionary and preventive measures, particularly for vulnerable groups. Considering the effects of knowledge and attitudes about COVID-19 on adherence to preventive measures, we examined women's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) from pregnancy to 6 weeks postpartum about COVID-19 during this pandemic.
In a cross-sectional study, 7363 women were recruited via an online questionnaire between June 23, 2021 and July 7, 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 27 questions, measuring KAP.
Most of the participants had a good understanding of COVID-19 (Mean: 7.30 out of 9, standard deviation [SD]: 1.27), but the knowledge of the disease's main symptoms and modes of transmission was at the lowest levels. The mean attitudes score was 31.47 out of 50 (SD: 7.70). The participants had good practices against COVID-19 with a mean score of 35.48 out of 40 (SD: 3.94). To reduce anxiety and fear during the pandemic, half of our participants strongly emphasized the role of family emotional support. Income status and educational levels were the most significant variables influencing KAP (p-value ≤0.001). A correlation was found between knowledge and practice scores (r = 0.205, p-value = 0.001).
Our findings may serve to formulate awareness-raising interventions and can be a guide to health policymakers and workers such as obstetricians, clinicians, and midwives for more effective educational communication emphasizing the COVID-19 symptoms and transmission modes and rendering appropriate counseling, particularly on the importance of emotional family support during the pandemic.
为控制新冠病毒病（COVID-19）的传播，伊朗采取了严格的预防和防控措施，尤其是针对弱势群体。考虑到对COVID-19的认知和态度对遵守预防措施的影响，我们调查了在此次疫情期间从孕期至产后6周的女性对COVID-19的知识、态度和行为。
在一项横断面研究中，于2021年6月23日至2021年7月7日通过在线问卷招募了7363名女性。问卷由27个问题组成，用于衡量知识、态度和行为。
大多数参与者对COVID-19有较好的了解（平均分：9分制下为7.30分，标准差[SD]：1.27），但对该疾病主要症状和传播方式的了解处于最低水平。态度平均分在50分制下为31.47分（SD：7.70）。参与者针对COVID-19的行为良好，平均分在40分制下为35.48分（SD：3.94）。为减轻疫情期间的焦虑和恐惧，一半的参与者强烈强调了家庭情感支持的作用。收入状况和教育水平是影响知识、态度和行为的最显著变量（p值≤0.001）。知识得分与行为得分之间存在相关性（r = 0.205，p值 = 0.001）。
我们的研究结果可用于制定提高认识的干预措施，并可为卫生政策制定者以及产科医生、临床医生和助产士等卫生工作者提供指导，以便进行更有效的教育沟通，强调COVID-19的症状和传播方式，并提供适当的咨询，特别是关于疫情期间家庭情感支持的重要性。
