Knowledge, attitude and practice wards management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) among antenatal women visiting for antenatal care at reproductive health center, Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a global health problem compromising maternal and fetal health. The aim of this study is to examine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice towards management of GDM among antenatal women. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional descriptive correlational study involving 197 antenatal women visiting for antenatal care at Reproductive Health Center (RHC) of Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH). Participants were selected using random sampling in one-month period between August to September 2022. Pearson correlation was used to evaluate relationship between knowledge, attitude and practice towards management of GDM. RESULTS: Research findings indicate 68% respondents had low knowledge, 16.8% and only 15.2% had high knowledge of GDM. Majority of 80.2% had moderate attitude whereas 16.2% and 3.6% antenatal women were found to have high and low attitude towards GDM respectively. Practice level towards management of GDM were found to be poor in 59.9% participants and good in only 1% of participants. Pearson product correlation indicated significant and moderately positive correlation (r = .404, p < .001) between knowledge and attitude, statistically significant and weakly positive correlation (r = .284, p < .001) between attitude and practice. No correlation was found between knowledge and practice towards management of GDM. CONCLUSION: The results of this study can aid healthcare professionals in developing effective strategies to raise awareness of GDM prevention in the Maldives and in carrying out health promotion activities related to GDM successfully