Knowledge of thyroid disorder and preventive practice among pregnant women attending selected maternal and child health clinic of Bhaktapur, Nepal
Journal Title: International Journal of Public Health Asia Pacific (IJPHAP) - Year 2023, Vol 2, Issue 4
Abstract
Background: Thyroid is the second most common endocrine illness after diabetes. Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism can cause serious complications such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, infertility, arrhythmia, and more. This study aimed to determine the level of awareness among a group of people in the central region of Nepal. Objectives: The overall objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of thyroid disorder and its preventive practices among pregnant women attending MCH clinic. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 207 pregnant women of age 18-29 years attending maternal and child health clinic of Siddhi Memorial Hospital, Bhaktapur through a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Quantitative research method was applied through face-to-face interview and the collected data were entered and analysed using SPSS v.25. Results: Around 86% of 207 respondents had heard about thyroid disorder. Thyroid illness was defined by more than a third of respondents (38.76%) as the presence of Goiter, followed by disease caused by insufficient thyroid hormone (18.54%) and disease caused by excess thyroid hormone (12.92 %). 68.54% of those surveyed were uninformed about various thyroid issues, while 31.46% did. Only 62.92% of respondents were aware of the thyroid test, and the majority (81.15%) were not familiar with preventive practices. Overall, 65.2% of respondents had inadequate knowledge about thyroid disorders, whereas 34.80% had acceptable level of knowledge. Ethnicity, occupation, and education level were statistically significantly associated with knowledge on Thyroid disorder (p-value < 0.05). Adequate knowledge was found to be associated with good in preventive practice (p-value <0.06). Conclusion: The respondents had a low level of awareness about thyroid problem and its preventive measures. This study highlights the necessity of comprehensive health education and accessible, affordable health services covering wide range of issues regarding thyroid.
Authors and Affiliations
Laxmi Gautam, Sudip Sharma, Krishna Khati, Aditya Kumar Karn
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP752646
- DOI https://doi.org/10.62992/ijphap.v2i4.52
- Views 34
- Downloads 1
Association between the level of stress and severity of pain, and factors associated with stress, and perceived knowledge on stress management among university students in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Background: Stress negatively impacts mental and physical health, often leading to anxiety and hypertension. By identifying key factors, we can better understand the challenges faced by university students in Cambodia an...
Forecasting the demand of public health professionals at the primary care level at the present and in the next 5 - 10 years in Thailand (2026– 2031)
Background: An increase in the number and proportion of senior citizens, chronic diseases including mental illnesses and the incidence of emerging diseases cause the medical and public health workforce to increase the wo...
Perspectives on fluid overload management among caregivers of end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis
Background: Fluid overload is a significant problem often encountered in patients with end-stage renal disease. If not properly managed, it can have multiple adverse effects on a patient's health or may even be life-thre...
Inappropriate use of Tuberculosis medications among TB patients in Vientiane capital, Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an important communicable disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which has been declared a global public health emergency by World Health Organization. Objectives: To study the i...
Parent versus teacher reports of children’s adaptive abilities amongst an Australian clinical school-aged paediatric population
Background: This study broadens clinicians’ understanding of discrepancies between parent and teacher reporting related to the abilities of children's abilities, given the impact of these discrepancies on treatment plann...