Prevalence, Knowledge and Awareness of Pelvic Floor Disorder among Pregnant Women in a Tertiary Centre, Malaysia

Mukhtar Nur Farihan, Beng Kwang Ng, Su Ee Phon, Mohamed Ismail Nor Azlin, Abdul Ghani Nur Azurah and Pei Shan Lim
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Mukhtar Nur Farihan: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hospital Tuanku Fauziah, Jalan Tun Abd Razak, Kangar 01000, Perlis, Malaysia
Beng Kwang Ng: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Su Ee Phon: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Mohamed Ismail Nor Azlin: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Abdul Ghani Nur Azurah: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Pei Shan Lim: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-11

Abstract: Pelvic floor disorders are common and of concern, as the majority of maternity healthcare providers seldom discuss this issue with patients compared to other antenatal issues. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and to assess the knowledge and awareness of pelvic floor disorder (PFD) among pregnant women in a tertiary centre in Malaysia. We also aim to assess the association between women’s risk factors regarding their knowledge and awareness of pelvic floor disorder so that primary prevention strategies can be planned, initiated and implemented in the future. This is a cross-sectional study with a total of four hundred twenty-four pregnant women that were recruited over a 6-month duration from May to November 2017 in a tertiary centre in Malaysia. The Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20) was used to evaluate pelvic floor distress symptoms during pregnancy, namely urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and faecal incontinence. A validated Prolapse and Incontinence Knowledge Questionnaire (PIKQ), which consists of 24 items, was used to assess respondents’ knowledge about urinary incontinence (UI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP). A total of 450 participants were approached, but 424 participants agreed to participate, showing a response rate of 94.3%. The median age was 31.5 years old, and 33.3% were primiparity. Overall, 46.1% of pregnant women had at least one symptom of pelvic floor disorder during pregnancy. Of these, 62.3% experienced urinary incontinence, 41.1% experienced symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse, and 37.8% experienced symptoms of faecal incontinence. The overall median score of PIKQ was 12.0 (8.0, 17.0). The median score for PIKQ—UI was 7.0 (5.0, 9.0) and the median score for PIKQ—POP was 6.0 (4.0, 8.0). There were 341 (80.4%) pregnant women that had a low level of knowledge in UI, and 191 (45.0%) had a low level of knowledge in POP. Having a tertiary level of education and receiving antenatal specialist care were both associated with better proficiency in both the PIKQ—UI ( p < 0.001) and PIKQ—POP ( p < 0.001) subscales. Pelvic floor disorder during pregnancy was common. A knowledge of pelvic floor disorder was lacking among pregnant women in this study. Having a tertiary education and receiving antenatal specialist care were both associated with better knowledge proficiency. This study hopefully serves as a basic platform for future educational programs to bridge the knowledge gaps in PFD among pregnant women.

Keywords: delivery; knowledge; pelvic floor disorder; pelvic organ prolapse; urinary incontinence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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