Knowledge and Attitude of Postpartum Complications in Lebanese Women

Abstract

Background: Poor knowledge and attitude of postpartum complication (KAPC) among women delays their management and increases Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR).1 MMR in Lebanon increased from 24 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2005 to 29 in 2017.2 This study aims to assess the perceived KAPC of Lebanese women and how it differs according to their level of education and age groups, in different regions in Lebanon. Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 500 women aged 17-50 years old from 2018 to 2020 regardless of having children or not. A questionnaire was developed, and its internal validity was found to be within the acceptable range (Richard's Kurdson = 0.75). The questionnaire was translated from English to Arabic and administered for data gathering through face-to-face interviews. Chi-square and ANOVA were applied to identify the statistical difference. A confidence interval of 95% was reported, and statistical significance was declared at p < 0.05. Results: The majority of women who regarded proteins and dairy products as essential are those living in Beirut [p = 0.020] [0.019]. Women who attended university demonstrated more knowledge of alarming urinary tract infection symptoms than those who attended secondary or high school level [p = 0.05]. Females living in Beirut knew better about deep vein thrombosis symptoms than those living in the South and Nabatieh [p = 0.047] (Table 1). Regarding the best method for breast emptying, 64.8% of women aged 36-50 chose continuous suckling compared to 47.2% of females aged 18-25 year-old (Table 2). Conclusion: KAPC among Lebanese women is distinct from one complication to another, and this is influenced directly or inversely by mainly the effect of the Lebanese geographical regions and educational level. Therefore, an awareness campaign must be implemented at several levels, targeting the most distant regions, especially the rural ones like Beqaa, and vulnerable age groups, particularly the young.