A Study of Knowledge, Attitude & Practices Regarding Preconception & Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act among Antenatal Women Attending a Tertiary Hospital of Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Background: The advances in technology & diagnostic facilities have opened up avenue for girl haters & those preferring male child, leading to serious disturbances in sex ratio resulting in decline of child sex ratio. This has led to enforcement of Preconception & Prenatal diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act since 1994 & its amendment in 2002 & 2003 (PC-PNDT) act. The PC & PNDT act is very helpful for reducing the rate of female feticide which is the root cause for this disturbance. Hence the present study is an effort to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice related to PC & PNDT Act among the pregnant women so that the various reasons of declining sex ratio can be known. Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude & practice related to PC & PNDT act among the pregnant women & to study their socio-demographic profile. Materials And Method: About 2000 antenatal women who came for ultrasonography examination to the department of Radio-diagnosis from 1st April 2011 to 31st March 2012 were interviewed with the help of a pretested questionnaire & data was analyzed.Results: Out of 2000, antenatal women, 43.08% had knowledge about PC & PNDT act & 56.2% did not have any knowledge about it. The more the literacy status, the more was the knowledge about PC & PNDT act. Illiterates had more preference for male child. The attitude regarding PC & PNDT act was more positive in the lower middle class. About 85% of antenatal women say that they will contribute to prevent female foeticides. Conclusions:There is a need to educate women, particularly from under privileged population about the PC & PNDT act through intensive Information, Education & Communication Campaigns.

Knowledge and attitude of men towards sex determination and PCPNDT act in the field practice area of a medical college in coastal Karnataka

“…8 One more study by Mishra et al in Andhra Pradesh (2015) shows it to be 43%. 9 Present study shows an association between education and awareness about PCPNDT act which was statistically significant (p=0.011).…”