Factors affecting the decision to participate in down syndrome screening of pregnant women at hrh princess maha chakri sirindhorn medical center

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the factors which affect Thai pregnant women's decision to participate in prenatal Down syndrome (DS) screening, including their knowledge and attitudes. Materials and Methods: An analytic cross sectional study of 326 self-administered questionnaires from Thai pregnant women who attended their first antenatal care clinic at HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center (MSMC) between June and December 2018 were collected. The participants' knowledge and attitudes on DS and DS screening tests, including their acceptance in prenatal DS screening, were examined. Factors which affected their decision to whether or not participate in screening were also evaluated. Results: The mean age of the participants was 29.1 ± 5.6 years. Regarding their knowledge on DS, 30.7% of the participants were classified as having good knowledge. However, only 7.4% of the participants were classified as having good knowledge on prenatal DS screening. The percentages of the participants with positive, neutral and negative attitudes on DS and DS screening were 12.9%, 42.9% and 44.2%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that pregnant women with an education level of bachelor degree or higher and familial income of ≥ 30,000 Baht per month were more likely to accept DS screening, but these did not reach statistical significance. Most participants (297/326, 91.1%) in our study agreed to participate in DS screening, with the majority (116/297, 35.6%) selecting integrate test. Also, most agreed that the cost of screening test should not exceed 5,000 baht and the test should be done in general provincial hospital. Over half of the participants (179/326, 54.9%) believed that pregnant women's personal health coverage should be responsible for the cost. Conclusion: An education level of bachelor degree or higher and familial income of ≥ 30,000 baht per month are potential factors associated with the pregnant women's decision to accept DS screening. © 2020 Thai Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. All rights reserved.