Objective: Given the limited evidence on the awareness and attitudes of health professionals who educate pregnant women about endocrine disruptors, alongside growing concern regarding their adverse effects during pregnancy, this study was conducted to assess these factors.
Methods: The study, which was carried out according to cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational methods, was implemented during an antenatal education conference held in Izmir between October 27-30, 2023. The sample consisted of 178 health professionals, including midwives, nurses, and obstetricians, who attended the congress and provided education to pregnant women. Data were collected with the Introductory Information Form (IIF), Endocrine Disruptors Attitude Scale (EDAS), and Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals Awareness Scale for Health Professionals (EDCAS).
Results: A total of 83.7% of the participants had not received training on endocrine disruptors. The mean EDAS score of the participants was 80.87±11.39, and the mean EDCAS score was 84.93±13.34. There is a weak correlation between the EDCAS score and the EDAS score and a moderately significant relationship between the general awareness sub-dimension of EDCAS and EDAS (p < 0.05). Participants who received training on endocrine disruptors had higher EDCAS and EDAS scores (p < 0.01).
Conclusion: These findings are relevant to perinatal health as they show that many prenatal health professionals lack formal training despite moderate awareness and positive attitudes. Since training is associated with higher awareness and attitudes, improving education may enhance counseling, reduce harmful exposures, and support better maternal and fetal outcomes.
Keywords: Attitude; Awareness; Education; Endocrine Disruptors; Health Professional; Pregnancy.
© 2026. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.