Knowledge and Attitudes towards Prenatal Diagnostic Procedures among Pregnant Women in Greece

Abstract

Objective: To assess knowledge and attitudes towards prenatal diagnostic procedures among pregnant women living in Greece who underwent amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling in relation to underlying demographic, lifestyle and medical history predictors. Method: 354 women, upon receiving the results, were interviewed in person. A structured questionnaire was answered based upon sociodemographic, educational, lifestyle and medical history variables, as well as questions pertaining to the women’s knowledge, use and opinion of prenatal tests. Summary statistics and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: No prior information on prenatal diagnostic procedures was reported in 29% or on prenatal screening tests in 50% of the study subjects. Women with no history of inherited diseases were about threefold more likely to have inadequate knowledge (OR = 2.72, p = 0.01) as were women of non-Greek nationality (OR = 3.27, p = 0.02) as well as those who reported being unaware of the health consequences of smoking during pregnancy (OR = 2.50, p = 0.005). By contrast, women of higher education were over twofold more likely to attain a higher level of knowledge of prenatal diagnostic procedures (OR = 0.51, p = 10^–4) as were those reported reading the popular press (OR = 0.44, p = 10^–4). Conclusion: In spite of the increased availability of prenatal diagnosis, much more is needed to be done in order to improve the efficiency of prenatal counseling, especially in immigrants and women with a low educational background.

A survey of the awareness, use and attitudes of women towards Down syndrome screening

“…Women of higher education level were over twofold more likely to attain a higher level of knowledge of prenatal diagnostic procedures (Kitsiou‐Tzeli et al . ). It is known that socio‐economic status can influence the families’ decision regarding prenatal diagnosis.…”

“…Similar to our study's results, Kitsiou‐Tzeli et al . () assessed knowledge about and attitudes towards prenatal diagnostic procedures among pregnant women ( n = 354) living in Greece. Women of higher education level were over twofold more likely to attain a higher level of knowledge of prenatal diagnostic procedures (Kitsiou‐Tzeli et al .…”

“…Women with a higher degree of education are reported to be more aware of PST (Kitsiou‐Tzeli et al . ). As detailed information is provided to couples, the likelihood of accepting a PST increases (Stefansdottir et al .…”

Clinical Correlates of Pain and Anxiety in Prenatal Diagnostic Procedures

“…Although the awareness about these procedures is gradually increasing, studies have revealed that much needs to be done to improve the efficiency of prenatal counselling [1]. An important aspect of prenatal counselling is to provide the procedural details along with information on the anticipated pain associated with the procedures.…”

Prenatal Diagnosis in Low Resource Setting: Is It Acceptable?

“…No simple correlation has been found between the change in technology to the changes in values and beliefs toward genetic testing and prenatal procedures. Some think that genetic testing is a great advance while others think it will cause troubles [4].…”