Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Pregnant Women Towards COVID-19: An On-site Cross-sectional Survey

Abstract

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of pregnant women towards coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: This on-site cross-sectional survey was conducted in the antenatal and fetal medicine clinics in a tertiary care hospital in North India. Pregnant women attending the maternal-fetal unit filled out a 31-item questionnaire assessing their KAP towards COVID-19. Correlation between KAP was assessed by using Spearman’s rank correlation.

Results: Some 302 questionnaires were analyzed: more than 90% of women had correct general knowledge of COVID, but only 12.3% scored 50% or more for pregnancy-related knowledge. Some 67% of women reported more than usual anxiety, and 7.7% reported severe anxiety levels. General knowledge improved with age, education, and occupation but pregnancy-related knowledge and anxiety score were unaffected by these variables.

Conclusions: Pregnant women's knowledge of COVID-19 infection, in general, is excellent and they have the correct attitude towards preventive strategies. However, knowledge and attitude towards its effect on pregnancy are limited.