Abstract:
Background: Water is the most essential component for all living organisms to survive.
Pregnant women are at a high risk of dehydration, and they are reported to have inadequate fluid
intakes. Pregnancy increases women’s weight and energy intake due to their special physical
status. This causes a proportional increase in water intake.
Objective: To assess the knowledge on the daily water requirement and dehydration among the
pregnant women in selected Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas in Galle district
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a conveniently selected sample of 366
pregnant women recruited from Galle, Bope-poddala, and Akmeemana MOH areas (n=122 from
each MOH area). A pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the
knowledge about daily water requirements and dehydration. Marks were given to each question
in the questionnaire, and knowledge scores were categorized according to the given marks
(>90% - excellent knowledge, 90-75% - good, 75-50 - average, and <50% - poor). Data were
analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS version 25.0.
Results: Majority of the participants, (n=193, 52.7%), were in the 18-30 years age range.
Majority were Sinhalese (n=327, 89.3%) and Buddhist (n=316, 86.3%). About 56% of the
pregnant women were from rural areas. Of the 366 participants, 39.9% have been educated up to
GCE Advanced Level. However, all the participants (n=366, 100%) had a poor knowledge on
daily water requirement. The mean(±SD) knowledge score was 15.57(5.14) for the knowledge on
daily water requirement. All of them (100%) had a poor knowledge regarding dehydration as
well. The mean(±SD) knowledge score was 16.87(±5.57) for the knowledge on dehydration. The
total knowledge score of the pregnant mothers were significantly different with respect to their
residence, educational level, and monthly income (p=0.001, p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively).
Conclusions: Knowledge on daily water requirement, and dehydration among pregnant mothers
is poor. Findings emphasize the urgent requirement of improving the knowledge of pregnant
women on daily water requirement, proper hydration, and the consequences of dehydration.
