COVID-19 Pandemic and Maternal Perspectives

Area of Science:

• Perinatal Health
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic significantly impacted global perinatal populations.
• Understanding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant and postnatal women regarding COVID-19 is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of perinatal women concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To identify challenges faced by perinatal women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study involving 223 pregnant and postnatal women.
• Exclusion criteria included non-consent and gestational age less than 16 weeks.
• Descriptive statistics were analyzed using SPSS version 26.

Main Results:

• Most women possessed good knowledge of COVID-19 transmission and symptoms, primarily obtaining information from news and the internet.
• Significant concerns included social isolation (63%), hospital visitor restrictions (75%), and reduced household finances (47%).
• Preventive measures like hand washing (98%) and social distancing (93%) were widely adopted, though contact with General Physician (GP) services was compromised (41%).

Conclusions:

• Jeopardized healthcare services and psychological distress were major challenges for perinatal women during the pandemic.
• Integrating telemedicine and virtual visits is vital to mitigate the pandemic's impact on perinatal care.
• Holistic interventions are necessary to address the unique vulnerabilities of perinatal women to pandemic-related psychological distress and societal lockdowns.