# Superstitions and practices of women in the perinatal period in Turkey: a cross-sectional study

## TL;DR

This study explores the nonfunctional beliefs and practices of women in Turkey during pregnancy, childbirth, and baby care, finding that urban and traditionally-minded women have higher rates of such beliefs.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the prevalence and correlates of nonfunctional beliefs and practices among Turkish women during the perinatal period.

## Key findings

- Women living in cities and those who believe in traditional practices showed higher nonfunctional beliefs and practices.
- The mean total score of the Non-Functional Belief and Practices Scale was 226.68, indicating high levels of such beliefs.
- A positive correlation was found between the total score and all subdimensions of the scale.

## Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to examine the superstitions and practices of women about pregnancy, birth, puerperium, and baby care.

The cross-sectional study was conducted on the online platform in May–June 2023 with 612 women across Turkey. The data were obtained through the "Data Collection Form" and the "Non-Functional Belief and Practices Scale."

The study was completed with 612 women. Notably, 77.7% of the women participating in the study are single and 73.3% live in the city. Notably, 39.1% believed in traditional methods and 70.8% did not use a traditional practice. It was found that there was a significant difference between the total score of the scale and all its subdimensions, the place of living, and belief in traditional practices. The mean age of the women was 24.79±7.54 years, the NFBPS-P related to Pregnancy subdimension was 88.72±13.40, the NFBPS-CB related to Childbirth subdimension was 30.90±5.38, the NFBPS-P subdimension of Postpartum was 35.70±5.74, the NFBPS-IC related to Infant Care subdimension was 71.35±8.79, and the mean total score of the Non-Functional Belief and Practices Scale was 226.68±27.08. There was a positive correlation between the total score of the women and all subdimensions of the Non-Functional Belief and Practices Scale (p<0.05).

It was found that women's nonfunctional beliefs and practices related to pregnancy, childbirth, puerperium, and baby care were high. It was determined that women living in the city and believing in traditional practices had higher beliefs and practices in nonfunctional practices.