Knowledge of pregnant women regarding tobacco and alcohol use in pregnancy at Mariental clinic, Hardap region: a quantitative study

Globally, alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy is a challenge and linked to negative effects on health and wellbeing on both mother and the fetus. To investigate the knowledge of pregnant women attending antenatal care at Mariental clinic regarding the use of tobacco and alcohol in pregnancy. A quantitative approach with descriptive, cross-sectional, analytical design was used. The population were all pregnant women attending antenatal care at Mariental clinic. Systematic sampling method was used to select the sample of 224 pregnant women. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire that collected information on sociodemographic data and knowledge on tobacco and alcohol use. Data was analysed using Statistical Package of the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. Descriptive statistics was utilized to generatee frequencies and percentages. Fisher's Exact test at 0.05 alpha level was used to determine the association between variables. The mean age was 28.8 with a standard deviation of 6.9 years. Most participants, 43.6% were aged between 18 and 24 years. Majority, 88.15% were in third trimester of pregnancy, 73% were single, and unemployed. Most participants 78.7% have a high level of knowledge regarding the use of alcohol during pregnancy and 70.1% have higher level of knowledge regarding tobacco use during pregnancy. No association was found on the level of knowledge on alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy and socio demographic characteristics as all variables show a P-value of more than 0.05. Participants have higher knowledge on alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy.