Risks Assessment Before Pregnancy: A Healthy Mother and Baby After Delivery

Abstract

Risk assessment before pregnancy is one of the interventions during Preconception care (PCC) that would improve the outcome of pregnancy. A quantitative descriptive non-experimental approach was used to examine the use of preconception interventions in health centres in Blantyre urban. The study assessed the PCC men and women of child bearing age have to ensure a healthy mother and baby after pregnancy. The objectives were to: explore and describe the knowledge men and women of childbearing age have on HTSP and PCC, identify variables that influence men and women to acquire appropriate knowledge on PCC. The study included 300 men and women of child bearing age that attended outpatient clinics for various minor ailments like underfive, family planning and gyneacological clinic who were between 18 to 35 years. Structured questionnaire was used to gather data and descriptive statistics were used to analyse data using SPSS version 20. Kruskal Wallis test and Chi square was used to determine the relationship of specific variables to use of PCC. Most of the respondents were not assessed for chronic problems that would interfere pregnancy like diabetes, hypertension, aneamia and malnutrition. Only 30% were checked for VDRL,43% were vaccinated from tetanus but 74% were assessed for HIV test. Chronic diseases would be controlled before pregnancy to minimize adverse effects of pregnancy like preterm labour, preeclampsia, intra uterine growth retardation (IUGR) and neonatal infections. Universal education should be provided to men and women of child bearing age to improve the understanding to have risk assessments done before pregnancy.