A Cross-sectional Study of the Myths Regarding Room Ventilation in Puerperium Among Saudi Women

Background Despite the advances in medical health care services, people still believe and follow their traditions. Some of the traditional postpartum practices are harmful to women's health contrary to the common belief. The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of myths regarding room ventilation (MRV) among Saudi women. Methods We conducted an observational cross-sectional study on 355 women in the postpartum period from the outpatient clinic of Mother and Child Hospital (MCH), Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia. The investigators interviewed all the study participants to fill the proformas and collect all the study data. We analyzed the study data to estimate the prevalence of MRV in our sample as well as the factors associated with MRV. Results Most of our study participants were above 30 years (45%), multigravida (85%), and went through a cesarean section (78%). There was a significant association between MRV and education (P<0.001), occupation (P<0.001), and parity (P<0.001) but not with age (P=0.136). The prevalence of MRV dropped from 80% in women who had primary education only to 13% in women who had high school and college education. Also, it differed according to the participant's occupational status. MRV was prevalent in 56% of housewives vs. only 17% of the employed women. Moreover, it showed a substantial change with parity status. MRV increased from 23% in primiparous to 53% in multigravida. Conclusion Our results showed that the MRV is highly prevalent in the Saudi Arabia community and higher levels of education were negatively associated with the beliefs in the MRV. These findings highlight the importance of proper health education of pregnant women as well as the need for a prompt response from the Ministry of Health towards the MRV to eliminate it and spread the proper postpartum health care practices.