Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Pregnant Women in Jazan, Saudi Arabia Concerning Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises

Abstract

Introduction Weaknesses of the pelvic floor muscles in females can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction thus increasing the risk of urinary and fecal incontinence. Furthermore, its weakness can lead to reproductive organ prolapse and sexual dysfunction, and influence sexual arousal and orgasm. There is limited evidence concerning the awareness of Saudi women regarding the importance of physical activity in the prevention and treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction. The current investigation aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of pelvic floor muscle exercises in the women of Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods This investigation was a cross-sectional study targeting pregnant women in the Jazan region. Data was collected via an Arabic self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of four main components measuring demographic data, presence of pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms, knowledge, attitude, and practice of the participants concerning pelvic floor muscle training. Chi-squared test was used to test the association between measured demographic factors and level of knowledge. Results A total of 183 pregnant women were recruited. The mean age of the participants was 27.4 years (standard deviation (SD): 5.3). The median number of pregnancies was 2 (interquartile range (IQR): 1-3), and the mean duration of current pregnancy was 20.9 (SD:11.1). The majority of pregnant women complained of lower abdomen pain with variable degrees. Nearly half of the sample complained of having either urinary or fecal incontinence with variable degrees of severity. The mean score of knowledge was 5 out of 12 and the scores varied between 1 and 11. Only 71 women (38.8%) were confident that pregnant women can exercise pelvic floor muscles. Furthermore, knowledge of the recruited mothers concerning the nature of the pelvic floor muscle exercise was relatively low in comparison to other items. Nearly one-third of the sample either believed that the exercise had no effect or had a worsening effect. Half the sample reported not performing any pelvic floor exercises. Only the practice of the exercise was statistically associated with the level of knowledge, indicating a higher proportion of women with a higher level of knowledge among those who regularly or occasionally perform the exercise. This may suggest that women with a higher level of knowledge are more motivated to exercise (<0.001). Conclusion Several deficiencies in knowledge about pelvic floor muscle exercise were detected among the recruited sample. Though the majority of the sample had an attitude favoring pelvic floor muscle exercise, nearly one-third did not believe pelvic floor muscle exercise can be beneficial. Finally, less than 10% of the sample indicated regular practice of pelvic floor muscle exercise. These findings indicate a need to increase the awareness and adherence of women in Jazan.

Validation of the Arabic Linguistic Version of the Prolapse and Incontinence Knowledge Questionnaire

“…Regarding awareness of pelvic exercises, a substantial proportion of women in our study recognized their effectiveness in managing urinary leakage (185 women, 61.7%) and preventing prolapse progression (193 women, 64.3%), despite the absence of specific exercise details, such as the name of pelvic floor exercises (PFEs). This perspective is consistent with the findings reported by Derrar et al, wherein approximately one-third of women, comprising exclusively pregnant individuals, exhibited doubt about the benefits of pelvic floor muscle exercises [21]. Others reported that the women who were knowledge proficient in both POP and UI not only had knowledge of PFEs, but also performed Kegel exercises [22].…”

Knowledge, attitude and practice of Kegel exercise among pregnant women in Abha, Saudi Arabia

“…One of the key ndings of this study is the signi cant association between educational level and practice among the pregnant women. This is similar to the study ndings conducted in Jazan where pregnant women with higher levels of knowledge were more motivated to do Pelvic Floor Muscle exercise (13). However, on the contrary there was no association between educational level and pelvic oor muscle training knowledge (p = 0.63) in a study conducted among pregnant females in Thailand (14).…”