HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF PREGNANT WOMEN DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Pregnancy causes a partial decrease in immunity due to physiological changes related to pregnancy so that pregnant women are more susceptible to viral infections. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people's habits, including pregnant women. These changes affect the quality of life-related to physical and mental health. The objective of this study was to explore the health-related quality of life among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic conducted between June - July in Tapian Dolok subdistrict, Simalungun, North Sumatra, Indonesia. This research uses the descriptive method. The sample of this study was pregnant women 18-45 years, all of the gestational ages, and participants were read and speak well in Indonesian fluently. The sample size of this study was 87 participants. Simple random sampling was used in this research. Health-related quality of life was measured using a health survey short form 12 (SF-12) questionnaire. To calculate the PCS and MCS scores using a web-based scoring tool (www.orthotoolkit.com/sf12/). The mean age of respondents was 27.54±4.89 years, the mean gestational age was 25.89±8.09 weeks, multigravida was 71.3%, and higher education level was 74.71%. The mean Physical Component Score (PCS) was 40.74±7.04 and Mental Component Score (MCS) 49.93±8.77. It needs to be proper education about Covid-19 for pregnant women to improve their physical and mental health.