Do pregnant women have adequate knowledge on daily water requirement and dehydration and do they meet with the recommended fluid intake?

Abstract

Water is the most essential requirement for all living organisms to survive. A safe, adequate water supply is needed for all people. Pregnant women are at a high risk of dehydration due to inadequate fluid intake. This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the knowledge on daily water requirement and dehydration among the pregnant women in selected MOH areas in Galle district and to measure the total daily fluid intake of them. Participants (n=366) were recruited using purposive sampling method from three MOH areas in Galle district. A pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge about daily water requirements and dehydration. From each MOH area 20 pregnant women were randomly selected for a sub-group from the main sample to measure daily total fluid intake. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 25.0, using student’s t-test, one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation tests. All participants (n=366, 100%) showed poor knowledge on daily water requirements, and dehydration. The mean (SD) daily total fluid intake was 2117.47±437.69 mL/day. The average total fluid intake range was 1473-3803 mL/day. Only 20% of the pregnant women in the sub sample met with the total fluid intake recommendations for pregnant women. Results concluded that the pregnant women in Galle possess inadequate knowledge on daily water requirements and dehydration. The total daily fluid intake of the majority of the (80%) pregnant women were below the recommendations. However, there was no relationship between levels of knowledge and average total fluid intake of pregnant women. Findings emphasizes the urgent requirement of improving the hydration status of the pregnant mothers and educating them on the daily water requirement, the value of proper hydration and the consequences of dehydration.

KEYWORDS: Dehydration, water requirement, fluid intake, pregnant women, knowledge