An Investigation into Pre-Eclampsia Awareness and the Implementation of an Educational Initiative for Expectant Mothers at the Primary Health Center in Kirumampakkam, Puducherry

Pregnancy brings about significant physiological and anatomical changes in a woman's body. Among the many medical issues that can arise during pregnancy, hypertension is the most common, affecting 2-3% of pregnancies. Previously known as PET (pre-eclamptic toxaemia), it is now referred to as Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension (PIH). Complications related to PIH have been on the rise globally, with approximately 1500 women succumbing to its effects daily. PIH stands as a major health concern, contributing significantly to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least one woman dies every seven minutes due to complications arising from hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. Severe hypertension not only increases the risk of cardiac failure and cerebral vascular accidents in expectant mothers but also poses threats to the foetus, including poor placental oxygen transfer, growth restriction, preterm birth, placental abruption, stillbirth, and neonatal death.

The reported incidence of PIH is 5-10%, and despite efforts by the federal ministry of health to reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality, there has been an upward trend in morbidity and mortality attributed to PIH.

In this study, we adopted a descriptive approach and utilized convenience sampling to select 30 antenatal mothers as study subjects. The research was conducted at the Primary Health Center in Kirumampakkam, Puducherry, and data was collected through a structured questionnaire. Additionally, we organized an educational program by providing pamphlets to the antenatal mothers.

The results revealed that 66.7% of the antenatal mothers exhibited poor knowledge regarding pregnancy-induced hypertension, 30% had moderate knowledge, and only 3.3% had adequate knowledge. Notably, 93.3% of the antenatal mothers belonged to rural communities, indicating a lack of adequate knowledge concerning pregnancy-induced hypertension.

In conclusion, the majority of antenatal mothers in the study had poor knowledge about pregnancy-induced hypertension. Demographic variables were significantly associated with the level of knowledge among antenatal mothers. This study underscores the importance of raising awareness and educating expectant mothers about pregnancy-induced hypertension, especially in rural communities, to mitigate its impact on maternal and perinatal health