Public awareness about infant prematurity and its related health issues: A national-based survey in Jordan

IF 1.7 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health Pub Date : 2025-05-01 DOI:10.1016/j.cegh.2025.102046

Reem Ali , Karimeh Alnuaimi , Buthyna Alnasarat

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

The incidence of premature birth is high in Jordan, with no significant lowering of figures seen during the past decades. The knowledge of the associated high morbidity and mortality rate among preterm infants makes prematurity a high priority for the healthcare system in Jordan. This study aims to assess public awareness about prematurity, preterm infants’ health challenges and developmental disorders.

Methods

A national-based survey was employed to collected data on people's level of awareness. Online questionnaires were distributed across the country using proportional clusters protocol which was based on the geographical distribution of the population in Jordan.

Results

3048 Jordanians, aged from 18 to 77 years, completed the questionnaires; the majority of them were females and held married status. Results showed that 69.9 % of respondents gave a correct definition of prematurity. The average percentages of correct answers regarding the seriousness of prematurity, risks, and health and developmental problems were 71.5 %, 74.4 %, and 62.5 %, respectively. People generally failed to accurately identify premature infants’ long-term health and developmental problems. ANOVA results showed that the levels of awareness are significantly higher among people who have high family income (p < 0.001), are well-educated (p < 0.001), and employed in medical fields (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Educational initiatives are needed to enhance public awareness, particularly among the poor and less educated sectors of society. Lectures could be given by healthcare professionals at hospitals, and posted via social media, to educate people about prematurity and premature infants' health-related issues, with attention paid to infants’ long-term health and developmental problems.

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公众对婴儿早产及其相关健康问题的认识：约旦的一项全国性调查

约旦的早产发生率很高，在过去的几十年里，这一数字没有显著下降。对早产儿相关的高发病率和死亡率的了解使早产儿成为约旦医疗保健系统的重中之重。本研究旨在评估公众对早产、早产儿健康挑战和发育障碍的认识。方法采用全国范围的调查方法，收集人们的意识水平数据。在线问卷是根据约旦人口的地理分布情况，使用比例聚类协议在全国范围内分发的。结果共有3048名约旦人完成问卷调查，年龄在18 ~ 77岁之间；其中大多数是已婚女性。结果显示，69.9%的回答者对早产给出了正确的定义。关于早产严重程度、风险、健康和发育问题的平均正确率分别为71.5%、74.4%和62.5%。人们通常不能准确地识别早产儿的长期健康和发育问题。方差分析结果显示，家庭收入高的人的意识水平明显更高(p <；0.001)，受过良好教育(p <；0.001)，并在医疗领域就业(p <；0.001)。结论需要采取教育措施来提高公众意识，特别是社会中贫困和受教育程度较低的阶层。医疗保健专业人员可以在医院进行讲座，并通过社交媒体发布，以教育人们有关早产和早产儿健康相关问题，并关注婴儿的长期健康和发育问题。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

7.70%

发文量

218

审稿时长

66 days

期刊介绍： Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health (CEGH) is a multidisciplinary journal and it is published four times (March, June, September, December) a year. The mandate of CEGH is to promote articles on clinical epidemiology with focus on developing countries in the context of global health. We also accept articles from other countries. It publishes original research work across all disciplines of medicine and allied sciences, related to clinical epidemiology and global health. The journal publishes Original articles, Review articles, Evidence Summaries, Letters to the Editor. All articles published in CEGH are peer-reviewed and published online for immediate access and citation.