Knowledge and Attitude of Pregnant Women at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria, towards Substance Abuse among Pregnant Women

Abstract

There is a severe dearth of study on the knowledge and attitude of pregnant women towards substance abuse among pregnant women. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the knowledge and attitude of antenatal clients at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital to substance use among pregnant women. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional one carried out among 364 pregnant women selected by balloting. An interviewer administered questionnaire made up of items concerning socio-demographic data, Knowledge and Attitude towards substance use by pregnant women was used. Most of the respondent 314 (86.3%) were aware of substance abuse and a higher proportion 223 (71.0%) heard about it from television. Of the 314 respondents who were aware of substance abuse, 143 (45.54%) had good knowledge while 171 (54.46%) had poor knowledge. Similarly, 242 (77.10%) had a negative attitude while only 72 (22.90%) had a positive attitude. Although the greatest proportion of pregnant women who had positive attitude towards substance use in pregnancy was represented in those 21-30 years (59.7%), age did not significantly differentiate between pregnant women with positive attitude and those with negative attitude. Education significantly differentiated pregnant women with positive attitude from those with negative attitude. The highest number of those with positive attitude (43.1%) was found among those with secondary level of education. Like age, other variables were not significant. There is need to carry out targeted health education on substance abuse for pregnant women. One should also note the role of disseminating information on substance abuse through the television.

Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Pregnant, Women, Nigeria, Substance-Abuse