Knowledge and Beliefs Toward Risk of Cardiovascular Disease among Pre-Eclamptic Women

Background:  Preeclampsia is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life, but studies suggest that women with previous preeclampsia are not aware of this. Little is known about how these women perceive the condition and the associated long-term risks. The current study aims to assess pre-eclamptic women's knowledge and beliefs toward the risk of cardiovascular disease. A descriptive exploratory research design was adopted to achieve the aim of the current study. A convenience sample of 100 pre-eclamptic women was recruited. Setting: the current study was conducted at the post-partum department in teaching hospital of the university hospital in Shebin-Alkom, Menoufia University, Egypt. Three tools were used to collect data: 1) a Structured interviewing questionnaire, 2) a cardiovascular disease knowledge assessment tool, and 3) Likert belief scale regarding cardiovascular disease. Results:  Findings of the current study revealed that the mean age of women was 31.25 + 6.00 years old.  About 84% had an unsatisfactory level of knowledge, and 89.0% of them had negative beliefs about the risk of cardiovascular disease among pre-eclamptic women. Also, the study findings show that there is a highly statistically significant correlation between women's knowledge and belief scores toward CVD (P<0.01). The current study concluded that, majority of the study sample had an unsatisfactory level of knowledge, and negative beliefs about the risk of cardiovascular disease among pre-eclamptic women. It was recommended that, increase pre-eclamptic women's knowledge and beliefs about the risk of cardiovascular disease later in the future focusing on health education programs for women with the risk of pregnancy induced hypertension and follow-up after delivery to reduce the long-term complications.
Background:  Preeclampsia is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life, but studies suggest that women with previous preeclampsia are not aware of this. Little is known about how these women perceive the condition and the associated long-term risks. The current study aims to assess pre-eclamptic women's knowledge and beliefs toward the risk of cardiovascular disease. A descriptive exploratory research design was adopted to achieve the aim of the current study. A convenience sample of 100 pre-eclamptic women was recruited. Setting: the current study was conducted at the post-partum department in teaching hospital of the university hospital in Shebin-Alkom, Menoufia University, Egypt. Three tools were used to collect data: 1) a Structured interviewing questionnaire, 2) a cardiovascular disease knowledge assessment tool, and 3) Likert belief scale regarding cardiovascular disease. Results:  Findings of the current study revealed that the mean age of women was 31.25 + 6.00 years old.  About 84% had an unsatisfactory level of knowledge, and 89.0% of them had negative beliefs about the risk of cardiovascular disease among pre-eclamptic women. Also, the study findings show that there is a highly statistically significant correlation between women's knowledge and belief scores toward CVD (P<0.01). The current study concluded that, majority of the study sample had an unsatisfactory level of knowledge, and negative beliefs about the risk of cardiovascular disease among pre-eclamptic women. It was recommended that, increase pre-eclamptic women's knowledge and beliefs about the risk of cardiovascular disease later in the future focusing on health education programs for women with the risk of pregnancy induced hypertension and follow-up after delivery to reduce the long-term complications.