Knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women about endocrine disruptors

The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women about endocrine disruptors.

This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted with 313 pregnant women who visited the obstetrics clinic of a state hospital. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a Personal Information Form and the Endocrine Disruptors Attitude Scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0, with a significance level of p<0.05.

The average age of the pregnant women was 28.52±4.52 years. It was found that 62% of the pregnant women had more than 8 years of education, only 20.8% had prior knowledge about endocrine disruptors, and 30.7% of these obtained more information from social and visual media. Pregnant women scored an average of 76.26±9.33 on the Endocrine Disruptors Attitude Scale and were found to have a moderate protective attitude toward endocrine disruptors. It was determined that women who did not consume alcohol during pregnancy and were previously knowledgeable about endocrine disruptors scored significantly higher on the Endocrine Disruptors Attitude Scale (p<0.05).

In this study, it was determined that the attitudes of pregnant women toward endocrine disruptors were generally at a moderate level, and that the level of knowledge about endocrine disruptors during pregnancy could have an effect on the attitude.