Knowledge of preconception care and associated factors among maternal health care providers working in urban public health institutions of Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Provision of preconception care is significantly affected by the health care provider’s knowledge of preconception care. In Ethiopia, preconception care is rare, if even available, as part of maternal health care services. Thus, this study aimed to determine the level of knowledge of preconception care and associated factors among health care providers working in public health facilities in Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 March to 1 April 2020. A simple random sampling technique was used to select a total of 415 maternal health care providers. We utilized a structured, pretested, and self-administered questionnaire to collect data. Data were entered into EpiData (version 3.1) and exported to STATA (version 16) for analysis. Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. All covariates with a p value ⩽0.20 in bivariate logistic regression were entered into a multivariate logistic regression analysis to control the confounding variables; variables with a p value <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Out of 410 respondents, 247 (60.2%; 95% confidence interval: 55.4–65.1) had good knowledge of preconception care. Having an educational level of Bachelor of Science degree and above (adjusted odds ratio: 6.97, 95% confidence interval: 3.85–12.60), 5 or more years work experience (adjusted odds ratio: 2.60, 95% confidence interval: 1.52–4.49), working in a hospital (adjusted odds ratio: 2.50, 95% confidence interval: 1.25–4.99), reading preconception care guidelines (adjusted odds ratio: 3.06, 95% confidence interval: 1.40–6.68), and training on preconception (adjusted odds ratio: 2.90, 95% confidence interval: 1.37–6.15) were significantly associated with good knowledge of preconception care. Conclusions and Recommendations: Three out of five maternal health care providers in this study had good knowledge of preconception care. Facilitating continuous refreshment training and continuous professional development for health workers, preparing comprehensive preconception care guidelines for health institutions, and reading preconception care guidelines were highly recommended.

Provision of Preconception Care by Midwives, Nurses and Doctors at Ndola Teaching Hospital in Ndola District, Zambia

“…This was attributed to unavailability of provision of preconception care guidelines and standards. The findings are similar to those in a study conducted by Sori et al [16] in Eastern Ethiopia, where 85.1% of the respondents reported that there were no precon-ception care guidelines in their institution. Due to non-availability of preconception care standards and guidelines at Ndola Teaching Hospital, service provision was being done in a disorderly manner.…”

“…The finding of respondents not knowing what to offer during preconception care in Malawi is similar to the current study; as most 88.8% (95) of the midwives, nurses and doctors at Ndola Teaching Hospital could not mention five components of preconception care (Table 2(b)). This could be attributed to the lack of preconception care in the MCH package [16]. The lack of preconception care package was also reported in Nigeria where policy makers highlighted a lack of a defined preconception care service in the country [19].…”

Training in preconception care focused on primary health care providers: Effects on preconception care knowledge and provision

“…Nevertheless, the rapid training intervention increased the level of knowledge of the health providers similar to results observed in studies conducted in the USA with health care students and residents [ 13 , 15 ]. As insufficient training is reported to negatively impact the confidence and ability of a health care provider to provide preconception care [ 5 , 6 , 35 , 36 ], our result resonates with others that highlight the need for specific and continuous in-work trainings that may allow updates in preconception care-related topics to optimize its provision [ 29 ].…”

“…Health providers in both the intervention and control groups showed considerable knowledge of preconception care before the intervention. Comparing our results with others, it was observed that the knowledge of health providers in our study was even higher than that observed in either high-income countries or other middle-income countries [ 7 , 9 , [25] , [26] , [27] , [28] , [29] ].…”

Identification of Adolescent Behavioral Tendencies After Utilization of Health Promotion Applications About Pre-Pregnancy Care Based on the Health Belief Model Framework

“…The causative factor is the low awareness of the use of pre-pregnancy care (Du et al, 2021). This condition is supported by low knowledge (Wegene et al, 2022), unsupportive attitude (Okemo et al, 2021), high financing so they do not have access to services (Mazza et al, 2013), not having enough time (Habte et al, 2021), and lack of socialization about the use of preconception treatments (Sori et al, 2021). Another cause that is the main reason for the low utilization of pre-pregnancy services is unplanned pregnancies (Du et…”