Awareness of Married Adults about Congenital Anomalies in a Rural Village, Assiut

Abstract

Background: Congenital anomalies (CA) are significant causes of infant morbidity, mortality and disability. Objective(s): To assess the knowledge and attitude regarding congenital anomalies and their associated factors among married adults. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted on 633 currently married inhabitants in a rural village, Assiut. An interview was used for data collection via a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: Most participants (96.7%) had ever heard about CA, 20.1% of participants had good knowledge, whereas 73.0% of them had positive attitude. Factors significantly affecting knowledge were family history of CA, educational level, and gender. The same factors were also significantly affecting the attitude towards CA in addition to age. Conclusion: Only one fifth of participants had good knowledge about CA. Family history of CA, educational level, and gender are significant factors affecting both knowledge and attitude. Recommendation: To increase the awareness about CA among the public in general and increase the role of health care providers in raising awareness and counseling about CA.