Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics in Nnewi, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) has been proven to be effective in the preventive and curative care of pelvic floor muscles, yet not many women seem to know about PFME and those who do, have several misconceptions or have not been properly taught. Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge (K), attitude (A) and practice (P) of pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Nnewi, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A hundred and fifty-one pregnant women were sampled from four randomly selected antenatal clinics. All consenting pregnant women who received antenatal care in these clinics were consecutively recruited. Knowledge, attitude, and practice of PFME were assessed using the KAP questionnaire. Participants’ characteristics were summarized using frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. The relationship between knowledge, attitude, and practice was evaluated using the Spearman rank order correlation coefficient. Results: Pregnant women in Nnewi demonstrated poor knowledge (mean knowledge score = 32.08±34.21), poor attitude (49.27±35.45) and low practice (17.05±23.90) of PFME. A significant positive correlation was observed between each pair of knowledge and attitude (r= 0.61, p<0.01), knowledge and practice (r= 0.63, p<0.01) and attitude and practice (r=0.50, p<0.01). Age, parity, and gravidity showed no significant correlation with knowledge, attitude, or practice of PFMEs. Conclusion: Considering the poor knowledge, poor attitude, and low practice of PFME more effort should be given to the sensitization and education of women within childbearing age on the importance of PFMEs and on the correct way to perform these exercises.