Current Knowledge and Practice of Pregnant Women Towards Gestational Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study of Nsukka Women

Background Gestational hypertension is a major cause of maternal and perinatal mortality. Knowledge plays an essential role in decreasing the risk or threat of diseases; hence, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of pregnant women toward gestational hypertension (GH) in Nsukka, Nigeria. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted among 266 eligible pregnant women in two randomly selected hospitals in Nsukka using a well-structured and validated questionnaire. The questionnaire was self-administered. The data collected from the questionnaire were coded and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to summarize the findings, while inferential statistics such as correlations and chi-square tests were used to determine the relationships between variables. For all the statistical analyses, p values < 0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance. Results Of the 266 expectant mothers who participated in the study, 170 (63.9%) were aged 20 to 30 years. More than half of the participants (150, 56.4%) had a tertiary degree. The majority of the participants, 250 (94%), were married, and approximately half, 127 (47.7%), were in the third trimester. Only a handful of the participants (19%) were aware of GH. More than half of the participants, 161 (60.5%), strongly felt that gestational hypertension was preventable, and the majority, 180 (67.7%), preferred to visit the hospital if any unusual signs or symptoms were observed. Participants demonstrated low practice levels (20.28 ± 3.19). The level of education was the only sociodemographic component that was linked with mothers' practices toward GH (5.26(2)) (P = 0.04). The higher the mothers’ education level was, the better the mothers’ practices toward GH were. Conclusion The majority of participants had poor understanding and practice with GH. Only education level had an effect on pregnant women's attitudes toward GH.