Hacettepe Üniversitesi Erişkin Hastanesi Kadın Hastalıkları ve Doğum Polikliniklerine Başvuran Gebelerin Gıda Güvenliği Konularında İnfodemi Deneyimlerinin Belirlenmesi Araştırması

Abstract

ABSTRACT Çakmakcı Kaya E. A Study on the Determination of Infodemic Experiences of Pregnant Women Admitted to the Gynecology and Obstetrics Outpatient Clinics of Hacettepe University Adult Hospital on Food Safety Issues. Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Speciality Dissertation, Ankara, 2024. This study aimed to determine the infodemic experiences of pregnant women regarding food safety and the factors that may be related to infodemic experiences at the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinics of Hacettepe University Adult Hospital. 340 pregnant women who applied to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Outpatient Clinics of Hacettepe University Adult Hospital between September 15 and November 27, 2023, participated in this descriptive study. Data was collected under observation using the data collection form specifically developed to be used in this study. The mean age of the pregnant women was 28.3 ± 5.2 years, and 79.7% had an education level of high school or above. 44.1% of the pregnant women had never worked in a job that provides income, and 45.9% had not received any vocational training. The mean number of total pregnancies among the participants was 2.0 ± 1.2. While 59.4% of the pregnant women received information about nutrition from health professionals, 58.5% of them received it from websites. It was determined that 84.4% of the pregnant women checked the source of the information, 82.4% of the pregnant women checked the up-to-dateness of the information, 78.8% checked the accuracy of the content, and 70.3% checked the author of the information. It was determined that 9.1% of the pregnant women experienced an infodemic regarding food safety steps in their lives. During the pregnancy period, 7.4% of pregnant women experienced an infodemic regarding food safety. 0.6% of all pregnant women experienced toxoplasma positivity due to the infodemic related to food safety during pregnancy. Comparisons were made with some variables of experiencing infodemic, statistically significant differences were found between pregnant women who used scientific information sources and those who did not, according to the following conditions: age groups, educational status, number of people in the household, working status, number of births, gestational week, physical activity status, risky health behavior status, health status, the state of checking the source of the information, the up-to-dateness of the information, the content of the information, and the author of the information (p=0.008, p<0.001, p=0.001, p<0.001, p=0.007, p=0.047, p=0.006, p=0.048, p=0.008, p<0.001 p=0.001, p=0.01, and p=0.001, respectively). In conclusion; management of infodemic and related factors regarding food safety during pregnancy is important in protecting the health of the mother and the baby. It is recommended that studies be conducted to fill the information voids of pregnant women with accurate information and to prevent misinformation. Keywords: Infodemic; Pregnant; Food safety.