Developmental origins of health and disease: knowledge, attitude and practice of obstetrics & gynecology residents, pediatric residents, and medical students

• Main Authors: Ku, Chee Wai, Kwek, Lee Koon, Loo, Rachael Si Xuan, Xing, Hui Kun, Tan, Ryo Chee Ann, Leow, Shu Hui, Yap, Fabian, Chan, Jerry Kok Yen, Loy, See Ling
• Other Authors: Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Science::Medicine; Medical Education; Preventative Health
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/172508
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Developmental Origin of Health and Disease (DOHaD) explains how the health of the mother influences the offspring's risk of non-communicable diseases in later life. However, this remains underutilized in clinical practice. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of medical students, Obstetrics and Gynecology (O&G) and Pediatrics residents, toward DOHaD, identify potential barriers to DOHaD counseling, and translate DOHaD concepts into clinical practice. This cross-sectional study was conducted with a multi-section digital questionnaire, rated on a five-point Likert scale (1-5), with a higher score indicating better KAP. The scores between groups were compared using ANOVA. A total of 117 participants, comprising medical students (n = 75, 64.1 percent), O&G (n = 33, 28.2 percent) and Pediatric residents (n = 9, 7.7 percent), completed the questionnaire. The mean scores for the "Knowledge," "Attitude" and "Practice" sections were 3.73 (standard deviation 0.82), 4.27 (0.59) and 3.03 (0.52), respectively. O&G residents scored higher for the "Practice" section than Pediatric residents (mean scores 3.17 vs. 2.16; p = .048). Overall, the participants demonstrated good knowledge and attitude, but poor practice toward DOHaD. Thus, there is a need to improve education and training for health care professionals, develop a structured implementation framework, and provide a transdisciplinary care continuum for mother and child.