Awareness of Preeclampsia Risk Factors among Women of Reproductive Age in Owerri Municipal Council, Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Pre-eclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy that is life-threatening and a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity all over the world. This study investigated awareness of pre-eclampsia risk factors. among women of reproductive age (women 15-49 years) in Owerri Municipal Council, Imo State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional research survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of 177,200 women of reproductive age. The sample for the study comprised 420 women of reproductive age mothers drawn using multi-staged sampling involving simple random and convenience sampling techniques. The instrument used for data collection was a self-designed "Awareness of Pre-eclampsia Risk Factors Questionnaire (APRFQ)." Frequency and percentages were used to answer the research questions while the null hypotheses were tested using Chi-square statistics at .05 level of significance. The results indicated that overall, women demonstrated high awareness of pre-eclampsia risk factors (72.4%). Awareness was significantly associated with age and educational level (p <. 05). The study recommended among others that nurses and other healthcare providers should intensify efforts in educating mothers during antenatal care in simple language that everyone can understand.