Vol. 8, Issue 1, Part A (2026)

Background: Preconception care (PCC) is an essential element of the maternal, newborn, and child health continuum, aimed at identifying and modifying biomedical, behavioural, and social risk factors before conception. Although India has made notable progress in reducing maternal mortality, maternal and perinatal morbidity remain substantial, particularly in rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Existing maternal health programmes predominantly focus on antenatal and intrapartum care, with limited emphasis on the preconception period. Evidence on PCC awareness and utilisation in rural, community-based settings in India remains scarce. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of PCC and assess related practices among pregnant women in rural Khordha district, Odisha.
Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women attending obstetrics and gynaecology outpatient services and Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) clinics at the Community Health Centre, Tangi, Odisha. Pregnant women with gestational age less than 28 weeks were consecutively enrolled after obtaining informed consent. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the FIGO PCC assessment tool, capturing socio-demographic characteristics, obstetric history, high-risk pregnancy factors, lifestyle behaviours, nutritional supplementation, and PCC awareness and utilisation. Data were recorded electronically and analysed using descriptive statistics.
Results: A total of 112 women participated, with a mean age of 24.6 ± 4.4 years. Nearly 60% reported planned pregnancies, while 40.2% were unplanned. High-risk pregnancies were identified in 10.7% of participants, and 85.5% of multiparous women had an inter-pregnancy interval of ≤3 years. Awareness of PCC was extremely low (3.6%), with minimal utilisation of preconception services. Only two women reported preconception folic acid supplementation, and none had undergone preconception health screening.
Conclusion: The study highlights very low awareness and utilisation of preconception care among pregnant women in rural Odisha, indicating a significant missed opportunity within the current maternal healthcare framework. Integrating PCC into routine reproductive and primary healthcare services and strengthening community-level awareness are crucial for improving maternal and neonatal outcomes in rural India.