Assessing Prevalence and Knowledge of Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension among Pregnant Women at a Regional Hospital in Ghana

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and knowledge of Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension (PIH) among pregnant women attending Kumasi South Hospital in Asokwa Municipality, Ghana. An institutional-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from November 1, 2022, to April 1, 2023. A structured questionnaire was administered to 190 pregnant women, and data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to examine associations between knowledge scores and various demographic and clinical factors, with a significance threshold set at a p-value of 0.05. The prevalence of PIH among participants was 16.3%. Adequate knowledge about PIH was observed in 65.3% of the women. Significant associations with higher knowledge scores were found for age (χ² = 1.241, p = 0.002) and place of residence (χ² = 0.212, p = 0.001). Women with a family history of hypertension had higher knowledge scores (χ² = 7.851, p = 0.020). Prior contraceptive use was linked to better knowledge scores (χ² = 7.429, p = 0.022). Additionally, combined oral contraceptives’ users demonstrated higher knowledge than those using injectable contraceptives or implants (χ² = 6.821, p = 0.033). The study found significant PIH prevalence at Kumasi South Hospital, with better knowledge linked to a family history of hypertension, prior contraceptive use, and injectable contraceptives or implants. Enhancing educational efforts on PIH is crucial, and further research should explore attitudes towards PIH management.