Knowledge, Attitude and Practice about Vitamin D among Pregnant Women at a Municipality of Bhaktapur

Abstract

Introduction: Almost a billion people in the world are affected by Vitamin D deficiency. During pregnancy, the deficiency of Vitamin D can manifest as gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, or miscarriage in the early stages of pregnancy. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice, and importance of Vitamin D among pregnant women via a focus group.

Methods: A qualitative study was carried out at Changu Narayan Municipality, Duwakot ward no. two, Bhaktapur district from November to December 2019 after approval from the Institutional Review Committee of Kathmandu Medical College (Ref. 181020192). Participants were selected via the Female Community Health Volunteer’s pregnant women list by purposive sampling method. Focus group discussion was conducted among pregnant women. The interview questions were open-ended and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Study participants showed limited knowledge on vitamin D. Few participants had information regarding sun exposure for vitamin D. But many participants had negative attitudes towards sun exposure and lack of knowledge on sun exposure requirements. The participants have a huge knowledge gap between Vitamin D and its importance in pregnancy.

Conclusions: Increasing awareness of the importance of Vitamin D among pregnant women is required.