International Journal of Community Health Nursing And Practices Original Research

Assessing Thyroid Disorder Awareness Among Pregnant Women: A Hospital-based Study in Kottayam

  1. Anila C Eapen Department of Nursing, Caritas College of Nursing
  2. Nisha George Department of Nursing, Caritas College of Nursing
  3. Adilamol K.M. Department of Nursing, Caritas College of Nursing
  4. Alphonsa Joy Department of Nursing, Caritas College of Nursing
  5. Cicy George F.C.C. Department of Nursing, Caritas College of Nursing
  6. Gopika P.G. Department of Nursing, Caritas College of Nursing
  7. Manjusha S. Department of Nursing, Caritas College of Nursing
  8. Swapna S. Department of Nursing, Caritas College of Nursing
  9. Theresa Mathew S.Η. Department of Nursing, Caritas College of Nursing

Abstract

The current study was carried out at Caritas Hospital to evaluate the knowledge of pregnant women regarding thyroid disorders. The study aimed to assess the level of knowledge about thyroid disorders among pregnant women and to explore the relationship between knowledge levels and selected demographic factors. A total of 194 pregnant women attending the obstetrics and gynecology outpatient department at Caritas Hospital in Kottayam were included using a convenience sampling method. Structured questionnaires were utilized to assess their knowledge of thyroid disorders, and the data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The results indicated that among the 194 participants, 8.8% had poor knowledge, 86.6% had average knowledge, and 4.6% had good knowledge regarding thyroid disorders. The analysis revealed no significant association between the knowledge of pregnant women and demographic variables such as age, religion, occupation, family income, history of abortion, gravida status, and prior information. However, significant associations were found between knowledge levels and educational status, personal experiences with thyroid disorders, and a history of thyroid issues (p<0.05). The findings underscore important implications for nursing practice, education, administration, and future research. Nurses working in the Obstetrics & Gynecology department have a unique role in assessing the knowledge of pregnant women regarding thyroid disorders, and facilitating timely health education.

Keywords

References (30)

  1. Fraser DM. Myles’ Textbook for Midwives. 14th ed. London, United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone; 2003.
  2. Jacob AA. Comprehensive Textbook of Midwifery. 4th ed. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers; 2015. p. 366.
  3. Subasree S. Prevalence of thyroid disorders in India: An overview. Res J Pharm Technol. 2014;7:1165-8.
  4. Bhattacharyya A, Ramprasad M, Bhattacharyya S. Thyroid disorders in pregnancy. Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2012;16(8):167. doi:10.4103/2230-8210.104031
  5. The Times of India. TNN (2022). Thyroid disorders on the rise among women in Telangana. [online] The Times of India. Available from: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/ thyroid-disorders-on-the-rise-among-women-in-telangana/articleshow/89838065.cms.
  6. Bhaskar N. Midwifery and Obstetrical Nursing. 3rd ed. Bangalore: EMMESS Medical Publisher Private Limited; 2019.
  7. Basavanthappa BT. Narsingh Research and Statistics. 3rd ed. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers; 2014. p. 106-11.
  8. Konwar G, Deori U. Assessment of knowledge and awareness on thyroid disorders and impact of thyroid disorders during pregnancy among women in Assam. Int J Health Sci Res. 2019 Sep;9(9):99-102.
  9. Alotaibi EA, AlHaidar AM, Alotaibi SA, Alshehri NA, Alotaibi RA, Bashumeel YY, et al. Assessment of Thyroid Dysfunction Among Pregnant Women With Pre-Existing Diabetes Mellitus or Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Cureus. 2023. doi:10.7759/cureus.44390
  10. Rani U, Paladi R, Anjum M. Prevalence of thyroid disorders in first trimester of pregnancy. International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2022;11(11):3018. doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20222788
  11. Khakurel G, Karki C, Chalise S. Prevalence of Thyroid Disorder in Pregnant Women Visiting a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study. Journal of Nepal Medical Association. 2020;59(233). doi:10.31729/jnma.5529
  12. Gupta P, Jain M, Verma V, Gupta NK. The Study of Prevalence and Pattern of Thyroid Disorder in Pregnant Women: A Prospective Study. Cureus. 2021. doi:10.7759/cureus.16457
  13. Korde VR, Barse SP, Barla JS. Prevalence of thyroid dysfunctions in pregnant women: a prospective study in a tertiary care hospital in Maharashtra, India. International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2018;7(8):3211. doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20183319
  14. Sharma S, Sharma DC. Prevalence of thyroid disorders in pregnancy. Int J Res Rev. 2019 Aug;6(8):424-7. Available from: https://www.ijrrjournal.com/IJRR_Vol.6_Issue.8_Aug2019/IJRR0054.pdf.
  15. Dhanwal D, Bajaj S, Rajput R, Subramaniam KAV, Chowdhury S, Bhandari R, et al. Prevalence of hypothyroidism in pregnancy: An epidemiological study from 11 cities in 9 states of India. Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2016;20(3):387. doi:10.4103/2230-8210.179992
  16. Rajput R, Goel V, Nanda S, Rajput M, Seth S. Prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among women during the first trimester of pregnancy at a tertiary care hospital in Haryana. Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2015;19(3):416. doi:10.4103/2230-8210.152791
  17. Ramachandran R, Mohan L, Sara Jose M. Prevalence of thyroid disorders in antenatal women and its impact on maternal and foetal outcome. Indian Journal of Forensic and Community Medicine. 2020;7(1):29-32. doi:10.18231/j.ijfcm.2020.008
  18. Kuvarji VA, Fathima T, Shetty SS, Jakkannavar CV, Sangeetha K, Nair R, et al. Thyroid disorders in pregnancy and their maternal and foetal outcome in tertiary care center. J Evid Med Dent Sci. 2023;12:15-8.
  19. Mahadik K, Choudhary P, Roy PK. Study of thyroid function in pregnancy, its feto-maternal outcome; a prospective observational study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2020;20(1). doi:10.1186/s12884-020-03448-z
  20. Maurya P, Chaudhary N, Tyagi N, Kural MR, Bhatnagar K. The study of maternal and foetal outcome in pregnant women with thyroid disorder. International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2019;8(5):1802. doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20191504
  21. S. S, Nadagoudar S, Devi L. A. The study of maternal and fetal outcome in pregnant women with thyroid disorders. International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2017;6(8):3507. doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20173473
  22. S. V, S. V, K. V. An analytical cross sectional study on hypothyroidism in pregnancy, its maternal and fetal outcome. International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2020;9(3):1060. doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20200875
  23. K. S. A cross sectional study on the frequency of thyroid disorders in pregnancy and the asssociated obstetric complications. International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2023;12(6):1759-1762. doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20231550
  24. Rentala S. Basics in Nursing Research and Biostatistics. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers; 2018.
  25. Sharma S. Nursing Research and Statistics. 2nd ed. New Delhi: Elsevier India; 2010.
  26. Clement N. Textbook on Nursing Research and Statistics. 2nd ed. Bengaluru: EMMESS Medical Publisher Private Limited. 2019.
  27. Houser J. Nursing Research: Reading, Using and Creating Evidence. Burlington, Massachusetts, United States: Jones and Bartlett Publishers; 2010.
  28. Polit DF, Hungler PB. Nursing Research: Principles and Methods. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1999.
  29. Yadhav MK. Textbook of Nursing Research and Statistics. 2nd ed. Jalandhar City, Punjab: Lotus Publications; 2020.
  30. Treki MM, Ruhi S, Saleh K, Balasubramaniam P, Ishaka A, Khan J, Baber S, Hasan S, Kaleemullah M, Attalla SM. Knowledge and awareness of thyroid disorder among women in Selangor 2019. Pharm Biosci J. 2020;8(2):7–11. doi:10.20510/ukjpb/8/i2/15855378271.