Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42326109›Full record

ArticleCureus2026

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Preconception Care: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Healthcare Workers in a Rural Block of Jammu and Kashmir, North India.

Renu Sharma, Nitesh Kumar, Meeta Gupta, Harleen, Natasha Gupta

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Renu SharmaObstetrics and Gynaecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Vijaypur, Jammu, IND.
Nitesh KumarCommunity Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Vijaypur, Jammu, IND.
Meeta GuptaObstetrics and Gynaecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Vijaypur, Jammu, IND.
HarleenObstetrics and Gynaecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Vijaypur, Jammu, IND.
Natasha GuptaObstetrics and Gynaecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Vijaypur, Jammu, IND.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background Preconception care (PCC) improves maternal and child health outcomes by optimizing women's and couples' health before pregnancy through health education, supplementary medication, dietary modifications, and reducing preconception risk factors. In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) directed all nations to develop their own PCC policies based on national needs. The government of India included PCC as a key strategy to reduce perinatal mortality and morbidity in the India Newborn Action Plan (INAP) in 2014. However, its implementation remains limited in India. Healthcare workers, who provide primary health care in rural areas, are frontline personnel capable of playing a vital role in delivering PCC in these regions. This study was conducted with the aim of assessing the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding PCC among healthcare workers in a rural block of Jammu and Kashmir, North India. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2024 to July 2025. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to assess their knowledge, attitude, and practice concerning PCC. Data were described using frequencies, proportions, means, and standard deviations. The chi-square test was employed to analyze associations in bivariate analysis. Results Among 115 healthcare workers, 58 (50.4%) were Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, 38 (33.1%) were Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), General Nursing and Midwifery (GNMs), Multipurpose Health Workers (MPHWs), or Lady Health Visitors (LHVs), and 19 (16.5%) were medical officers. Of the participants, 68 (59.1%) had poor knowledge, and 66 (57.4%) displayed a negative attitude. Only 21 (18.3%) of them demonstrated good practices. Gaps were observed in understanding various PCC components, including preconception folic acid dosage, the adverse effects of obesity, intimate partner violence, exposure to environmental toxins, and the teratogenic effects of drugs. The level of education and professional background were significantly associated with knowledge, practice, and attitude scores. Conclusions Rural healthcare workers in India exhibit limited knowledge, negative attitudes, and inadequate practices regarding PCC. Training programs may help improve their knowledge, foster a positive attitude, and enhance the practice of PCC, thereby bridging the gap in the continuum of care.

Indexed as

attitudehealthcare workersknowledgepracticepreconception care

Identifiers

PMID42326109
PMCPMC13278519

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.