Juliawati Muhamad

Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise: Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Pfme Among Antenatal Mothers in Kelantan, Malaysia Juliawati Muhamad

The PFME is significantly effective in controlling urinary incontinence. It should be promoted during pregnancy and after delivery to prevent or treat postnatal incontinence, control bowel motions and increased sexual satisfaction. The study was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice towards PFME among antenatal women in Kelantan, Malaysia. They were given self-administered validated PFME KAP questionnaire. Of 56 respondents, 96.4% were Malay with the mean age of 33 years. The prevalence of UI was 19.6%. The proportion of antenatal mothers with good knowledge score was about 51.8%. Attitude showed the highest proportion with the good score (96.4%), whereas practice was the lowest(10.7%). There was significant positive correlation between knowledge and practice score (p=0.012). So the overall knowledge and practice on PFME were still poor that needs more attention from primary doctors. Our antenatal mothers should be informed and trained properly. Utilizing antenatal classes to introduce simple, easy and cost effective exercise for maintaining pelvic muscle strength is one the easiest way to improve knowledge, and yet give a positive impact on its practice and health outcome.