A STUDY TO ASSESS THE KNOWLEDGE OF PREGNANT WOMEN REGARDING THE NUTRITIONAL NEEDS TO PREVENT ANEMIA DURING ANTENATAL PERIOD AT SELECTED HOSPITAL OF GURUGRAM, HARYANA.

Aim: A study to assess the knowledge of pregnant women regarding the nutritional needs to prevent anemia during antenatal period at selected hospital of Gurugram, Haryana. Methodology: Non Experimental descriptive survey design was adopted in the present study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample size of 60 Pregnant women visiting the O.P.D for antenatal assessment at selected hospital of Gurugram. The pre-test assessment of knowledge of pregnant women was carried out using a structured knowledge questionnaire regarding the nutritional needs to prevent anemia during antenatal period. Results: Assessment of the knowledge scores revealed that maximum (60%) pregnant women were having average knowledge, less (23.3%) were having poor knowledge while only few (16.7%) were having good knowledge regarding iron deficiency anemia. Chi-square test was used to find the association between knowledge score with selected demographic variables. The results indicated that there was a significant association between the knowledge score and educational level of pregnant women, husband?s education and personal habits. The knowledge score of pregnant women was assessed in seven different areas i.e. basic concept, nutritional needs, causes, sign and symptoms, diagnosis, prevention and complications of nutritional deficiency anaemia during antenatal period and it revealed that they were having lowest knowledge score in complication area and highest knowledge score in nutritional needs area. Conclusion: The findings of the study depicts that most of the pregnant women had average knowledge, few had poor knowledge and very less pregnant women had good knowledge regarding nutritional needs of a pregnant women during pregnancy to prevent anemia.