A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY TO ASSESS THE DETERMINANTS AND KNOWLEDGE REGARDING HYPOTHYROIDISM AMONG ANTENATAL MOTHERS ATTENDING OUT PATIENT CLINIC IN A SELECTED GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL TAMBARAM, CHENGALPATTU

Background: Hypothyroidism is a common disorder in which the thyroid gland cannot produce enough hormone to meet the body's demand. Thyroid diseases are questionable along with the commonest endocrine disorders worldwide in which hypothyroidism is supposed to be a common health problem in India. Thyroid hormones control metabolism, growth, body temperature, menstrual cycle, the functioning of the lung, the heart, muscle strength and ancillary vital organs. Aims And Objective: To assess the determinants and knowledge regarding hypothyroidism among antenatal mothers. Methodology: Quantitative research approach, descriptive cross sectional research design was used for the study. 78 antenatal mothers were selected using convenient sampling techniques. The study was conducted at GH Chrompet , Chennai. Semi - structured questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge on hypothyroidism. Results: The result showed that 54 mothers (69.2%) had needs to improve, 23 (29.05%) had moderately adequate knowledge, and 1 (1.3%) had adequate knowledge. The ndings revealed that Weight, BMI and TSH levels were the determinants of hypothyroidism among antenatal mothers. The calculated chi square value showed statistically signicant association between the level of knowledge with demographic variables such as, menstrual cycle, weight, BMI, TSH value and history of Polycystic Ovarian Diseases.