Traditional Practices in Relation to Pregnancy, Childbirth, Postpartum Period, and Newborns in Turkey From an Interregional Perspective

Abstract

AIMThe aim of this study was to identify the level of knowledge of students on traditional practices related to pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period and the newborn in Turkey and present the geographical regions of Turkey where traditional practices are more common.METHODSThis cross-sectional study was performed with the participation of 375 students enrolled at the Midwifery and Nursing Departments of the Faculty of Health Sciences of a university in the Marmara Region located in northwestern Turkey. The data were collected through a Personal Information Form and a Traditional Beliefs and Practices Form created by the researchers. Means, standard deviations, minimum and maximum values, frequencies, and percentages were utilized in the statistical analyses.RESULTSThe mean age of the participants was 20.51 ± 2.44 years, 44.5% of them lived in the Marmara Region of Turkey, and most of their parents were primary school graduates. In this study, it was found that most students were not familiar with traditional practices in relation to pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and newborns in Turkey. It was also ascertained that the beliefs held by the students about pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and newborns differed across regions. It was found that most students did not know the harmful traditional practices performed for making childbirth easier. Most students were knowledgeable about harmful traditional practices about postpartum. Some of the harmful traditional practices applied to the newborn were determined to be unknown to the students.CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, in this study, it was identified that most students were not familiar with traditional practices related to pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period and newborns in Turkey. Before student midwives and nurses have started their careers, they should be informed about traditional beliefs and practices of the society in which they live, and they should be capable of making holistic and comprehensive evaluations. Because of this study, it is recommended that traditional beliefs and practices be included in the curricula of midwifery and nursing schools with particular emphasis on the geographical regions of Turkey.