The Relationship Between the Level of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Pelvic Organ Health and the Degree of Pelvic Organ Prolapse at Dr. M. Djamil General Hospital, Padang
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25077/aoj.10.2.291-300.2026Keywords:
Pelvic organ prolapse, knowledge level, attitude, behavior, pelvic healthAbstract
Background:
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a disorder of pelvic floor support structures that can adversely affect women’s physical, psychological, and sexual well-being. Poor knowledge, attitude, and behavior regarding pelvic organ health may contribute to disease progression and delay appropriate management. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding pelvic organ health and the degree of pelvic organ prolapse among patients at Dr. M. Djamil General Hospital, Padang.
Methods:
An analytic observational study with a cross-sectional design was conducted at the Urogynecology Clinic of Dr. M. Djamil General Hospital from January to March 2025. Ninety female patients diagnosed with POP were selected through consecutive sampling. Data were collected using a validated Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) questionnaire and physical examination based on the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) system. Associations between variables were analyzed using the Chi-square test with a significance level of p<0.05.
Results:
Most respondents demonstrated low levels of knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding pelvic organ health. The majority experienced stage IV (severe) POP. There was a significant relationship between knowledge level and POP degree (p=0.000), and between attitude and POP degree (p=0.002). Women with poor knowledge were 8.485 times more likely to experience severe POP, while those with negative attitudes were 4.125 times more likely. No significant relationship was found between behavior and POP degree (p=0.183).
Conclusion:
Knowledge and attitude significantly influence the severity of pelvic organ prolapse, whereas behavior does not. Enhancing women’s awareness and education regarding pelvic health is crucial to prevent severe prolapse and improve quality of life.
References
1. Bump RC, Norton PA. Epidemiology and natural history of pelvic floor dysfunction. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 1998;25(4):723–46.
2. DeLancey JO. Anatomy and biomechanics of genital prolapse. Clin Obstet Gynecol. 1993;36(4):897–909.
3. Barber MD, Maher C. Epidemiology and outcome assessment of pelvic organ prolapse. Int Urogynecol J. 2013;24(11):1783–90.
4. Haylen BT, de Ridder D, Freeman RM, et al. An International Urogynecological Association (IUGA)/International Continence Society (ICS) joint report on terminology for female pelvic floor dysfunction. Neurourol Urodyn. 2010;29(1):4–20.
5. Jelovsek JE, Maher C, Barber MD. Pelvic organ prolapse. Lancet. 2007;369(9566):1027–38.
6. Hagen S, Stark D. Conservative prevention and management of pelvic organ prolapse in women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(12):CD003882.
7. Olsen AL, Smith VJ, Bergstrom JO, et al. Epidemiology of surgically managed pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. Obstet Gynecol. 1997;89(4):501–6.
8. Swift S. The distribution of pelvic organ support in a population of female subjects seen for routine gynecologic health care. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2000;183(2):277–85.
9. Frawley HC, Bø K, Galea MP, et al. Pelvic floor muscle training for prevention and treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2021;33(5):309–16.
10. Seid A, et al. Factors associated with pelvic organ prolapse among women in Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study. BMC Women’s Health. 2021;21(1):1–8.
11. Hadizadeh-Talasaz Z, et al. Global prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int Urogynecol J. 2024;35(4):885–98.
12. Fakhrizal H, et al. Prevalence and determinants of pelvic organ prolapse in Indonesian women. Indones J Obstet Gynecol. 2022;46(3):120–8.
13. Parden AM, et al. Pelvic floor disorder awareness among women in Birmingham. Int Urogynecol J. 2016;27(7):1069–75.
14. Nur Farihan N, et al. Knowledge of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse among Malaysian women. BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):1591.
15. Fante JF, et al. Women’s knowledge of pelvic floor disorders: a systematic review. Urology. 2019;134:11–21.
16. El-Hamid S, et al. Relationship between knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding uterine prolapse among women. Egypt J Nurs Pract. 2018;5(2):45–53.
17. Chen J, et al. Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding pelvic floor dysfunction among healthcare professionals in China. Int Urogynecol J. 2021;32(11):2975–83.
18. Goodridge A, et al. Attitudes toward the uterus and pelvic health in women seeking urogynecologic care. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2021;27(5):e422–7.
19. Tennfjord MK, et al. Pelvic floor knowledge, attitude, and practices among pregnant women. Int Urogynecol J. 2020;31(7):1387–95.
20. Peinado R, et al. Prevalence and risk factors of pelvic floor dysfunction in Spanish women. J Clin Med. 2023;12(2):456–68.
21. Wu X, et al. Awareness and perception of pelvic floor dysfunction among Chinese women. BMC Women’s Health. 2023;23(1):112–21.
22. Obsa M, et al. Determinants of pelvic organ prolapse among reproductive-age women in Ethiopia. PLoS One. 2022;17(8):e0273123.
23. NICE. Pelvic floor dysfunction: prevention and management. NICE Clinical Guideline CG171. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; 2021.
24. Maher C, et al. Surgical management of pelvic organ prolapse. In: Berek & Novak’s Gynecology. 16th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020.
25. Barber MD. Contemporary management of pelvic organ prolapse. Obstet Gynecol. 2016;127(3):615–29.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 r Wijaya Sugijanto, Bobby Indra Utama, Zurayya Fadila
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
