Knowledge on preconception care among bachelor level nursing students of selected campuses in Bagmati province

Abstract

Background: Preconception care is the provision of biomedical, behavioural and social health interventions to women and couples before pregnancy to improve the health status of mother, new-born and child. There is growing evidence that preconception care may have an important role in preventing short and long-term adverse health consequences for women and their offspring. So this study was conducted to assess knowledge on preconception care among bachelor-level nursing students.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design with a purposive sampling technique was used to select 129 students from Constituents and affiliated Nursing campuses of Tribhuvan University in Bagmati Province. Data were collected over one month from 1st September to 27th September 2020. Knowledge on preconception care was evaluated through self-administered questionnaires. Analysis was done by using descriptive statistical tests.

Results: Among 129 respondents, 17.8% of respondents had adequate and 81.4% had a moderate level of knowledge on preconception care. The respondents had adequate levels of knowledge on teratogens and environmental toxins and inadequate on some of the very important issues such as proper time for preconception care, birth spacing, hygiene, and vaccines contraindicated during pregnancy.

Conclusions: Based on the findings, most of the respondents had a moderate level of knowledge but as a nurse to provide holistic care to the client and future mother they have to have an adequate level of knowledge to prevent adverse consequences of maternal and child health. Therefore, there seems to be a strong need to develop a simple guideline of preconception care and incorporate it into the nursing curriculum.