Medication-related knowledge and behavior profiles are generally favorable, but counseling needs remain among pregnant and postpartum women in Taiyuan, China: a cross-sectional study
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Pharmacy, Taiyuan Taihang Hospital
- 2Department of Obstetrics, Taiyuan Taihang Hospital
- 3Department of Operation Management, Taiyuan Taihang Hospital
- 4Department of Pharmacy, Shanxi Provincial People’s Hospital
Abstract
Objective: To characterize medication-related Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) risk profiles, pregnancy- and lactation-specific medication familiarity, and demographic correlates among pregnant and postpartum women in Taiyuan, China.
Methods: We conducted a hospital-based cross-sectional survey at Taiyuan Taihang Hospital from July to October 2024 using convenience sampling and an adapted medication-related KAP questionnaire. Higher knowledge-, attitude-, and behavior-risk scores indicated less favorable profiles, whereas higher familiarity scores indicated greater self-rated familiarity. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s α. Associations were examined using Pearson correlations, Welch’s analysis of variance with Games-Howell post hoc tests, and multivariable ordinary least-squares regression with HC3 robust standard errors.
Results: Of 500 returned questionnaires, 497 were analyzed. Cronbach’s α ranged from 0.808 to 0.957. Mean knowledge-risk and behavior-risk scores were 59.78 ± 18.99 and 57.22 ± 11.29, respectively, both within the prespecified good category; the mean attitude-risk score was 37.34 ± 7.94, within the pass category. For attitude risk, 59.0% were classified as pass, 16.1% as fail, and 24.9% as good or excellent. Knowledge risk was inversely correlated with attitude risk ( r = −0.258) and positively correlated with behavior risk ( r = 0.275), while attitude risk was weakly positively correlated with behavior risk ( r = 0.118; all p ≤ 0.009). In the adjusted behavior-risk model, higher scores were observed among participants aged 35–49 years and those with other insurance or self-payment. The overall adjusted association between monthly income and behavior risk was not statistically significant (Wald p = 0.098); an isolated contrast between the 4,000–6,000-yuan and below-2,000-yuan groups reached nominal statistical significance and was treated as exploratory. Familiarity scores across five pregnancy- and lactation-specific topics ranged from 2.46 to 2.60 on a five-point scale.
Conclusion: Favorable knowledge- and behavior-risk profiles coexisted with less favorable attitude-risk classifications and limited topic-specific familiarity. Broad medication-safety counseling should be integrated into antenatal and postpartum care, with proactive medication review considered for women aged 35–49 years, those with other insurance or self-payment, and those with complex medication needs. The income finding should be regarded as exploratory. Multicenter prospective studies are needed to assess generalizability and evaluate this service approach.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026medicationrelated,
title = {{Medication-related knowledge and behavior profiles are generally favorable, but counseling needs remain among pregnant and postpartum women in Taiyuan, China: a cross-sectional study}},
author = {Chaolong Zhang and Yingju He and Yuanyuan Yang and Li Zhang and Wenfei Zhang and Liuye Yang and Mengyao Ma},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1969907},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1969907/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Medication-related knowledge and behavior profiles are generally favorable, but counseling needs remain among pregnant and postpartum women in Taiyuan, China: a cross-sectional study
AU - Chaolong Zhang
AU - Yingju He
AU - Yuanyuan Yang
AU - Li Zhang
AU - Wenfei Zhang
AU - Liuye Yang
AU - Mengyao Ma
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1969907
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1969907/full
AB - Objective: To characterize medication-related Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) risk profiles, pregnancy- and lactation-specific medication familiarity, and demographic correlates among pregnant and postpartum women in Taiyuan, China. Methods: We conducted a hospital-based cross-sectional survey at Taiyuan Taihang Hospital from July to October 2024 using convenience sampling and an adapted medication-related KAP questionnaire. Higher knowledge-, attitude-, and behavior-risk scores indicated less favorable profiles, whereas higher familiarity scores indicated greater self-rated familiarity. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s α. Associations were examined using Pearson correlations, Welch’s analysis of variance with Games-Howell post hoc tests, and multivariable ordinary least-squares regression with HC3 robust standard errors. Results: Of 500 returned questionnaires, 497 were analyzed. Cronbach’s α ranged from 0.808 to 0.957. Mean knowledge-risk and behavior-risk scores were 59.78 ± 18.99 and 57.22 ± 11.29, respectively, both within the prespecified good category; the mean attitude-risk score was 37.34 ± 7.94, within the pass category. For attitude risk, 59.0% were classified as pass, 16.1% as fail, and 24.9% as good or excellent. Knowledge risk was inversely correlated with attitude risk ( r = −0.258) and positively correlated with behavior risk ( r = 0.275), while attitude risk was weakly positively correlated with behavior risk ( r = 0.118; all p ≤ 0.009). In the adjusted behavior-risk model, higher scores were observed among participants aged 35–49 years and those with other insurance or self-payment. The overall adjusted association between monthly income and behavior risk was not statistically significant (Wald p = 0.098); an isolated contrast between the 4,000–6,000-yuan and below-2,000-yuan groups reached nominal statistical significance and was treated as exploratory. Familiarity scores across five pregnancy- and lactation-specific topics ranged from 2.46 to 2.60 on a five-point scale. Conclusion: Favorable knowledge- and behavior-risk profiles coexisted with less favorable attitude-risk classifications and limited topic-specific familiarity. Broad medication-safety counseling should be integrated into antenatal and postpartum care, with proactive medication review considered for women aged 35–49 years, those with other insurance or self-payment, and those with complex medication needs. The income finding should be regarded as exploratory. Multicenter prospective studies are needed to assess generalizability and evaluate this service approach.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -