KNOWLEDGE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS TOWARDS PREVENTABLE RISK FACTORS OF CONGENITAL ANOMALIES AMONG ANTENATAL CARE ATTENDING MOTHERS AT PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTIONS IN HAWASSA CITY, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Background:- Congenital anomalies are problems of structure and function that can develop during intrauterine life and can be detected during pregnancy, at birth, or later in life. The etiology is genetic, environmental, multifactorial, and unknown. Globally 1 in 33 babies is born with a birth defect. More than 90% of birth defects occurred in low and middle-income countries. In Ethiopia, there was limited evidence to assess the knowledge of pregnant mothers despite the increasing prevalence of birth defects of preventable risk factors of congenital anomalies. Objective:- To assess the knowledge and associated factors towards preventable risk factors of congenital anomalies among antenatal care attending mothers at public health institutions in Hawassa City, Ethiopia, 2023. Methodology:- An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 systematically selected pregnant mothers who attended the ANC clinic in Hawassa City public health institutions from July 20-August 20, 2023. A pretested, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. An open data kit and statistical package for Social Science version 27 were used for data collection and analysis, respectively. To identify associated factors bivariate and multivariable analyses were carried out. Result:- A total of 422 pregnant mothers participated in this study with a response rate of 100%. Of the total participants, 79.4% were urban residents, 45.0% attain secondary school and 73.9% had antenatal care follow-up. Only 5.9% knew that congenital anomalies are acquired by pregnant mothers, 68.2% of them knew that congenital anomalies are genetic, and 11.4% of them knew that it occur due to the sin of families. Overall 58.3% of mothers had good knowledge of preventable risk factors of congenital anomalies. Conclusion:- Comparatively participants had moderate knowledge on overall knowledge about preventable risk factors of congenital anomalies compared to other studies. However, the knowledge was influenced by urban residence; college and above educational attainment, and antenatal care follow-up of the participants. It is advised to address pre-pregnancy and pregnancy health education, with a focus on birth defect prevention.