Maternal Knowledge Associated with the Prevalence of Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Among Pregnant Women in Muntinlupa, Philippines: A Cross-Sectional Study
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Date
2021-03Author
Yamashita, Tadashi
Roces, Ramon E D
Cecilia, Ladines-Llave
Tuliao, Maria T R
Kamau, Mary W
Yamada, Chika
Tanaka, Yuko
Shimazawa, Kyoko
Iwamoto, Saori
Matsuo, Hiroya
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
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Purpose: The World Health Organization advocates that all pregnant women in areas where anemia is prevalent receive supplements of iron and folic acid. However, owing to a myriad of factors, the uptake of iron and folic acid supplementation (IFAS) is still low in many countries. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the prevalence of IFAS and its associated factors among pregnant women.
Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a hospital in Muntinlupa, Philippines, between March and August 2019 among 280 pregnant women. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select participants. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with the prevalence of IFAS among pregnant women.
Results: Among 280 pregnant women, a majority (85.6%, n= 238) took IFAS during pregnancy. Among the respondents, 128 (45.9%) women had knowledge about signs and symptoms of anemia, 126 (45.3%) had knowledge of the benefits associated with IFAS, and 42 (15.4%) had knowledge about side effects associated with IFAS. The main sources of information about IFAS were health care providers (41.8%), followed by community health workers (CHWs) (14.6%). Maternal knowledge concerning IFAS benefits (OR = 2.50, CI = 1.04-5.97, p=0.04) was positively associated with the prevalence of IFAS.
Conclusion: Maternal knowledge about the benefits of taking IFAS was significantly associated with the prevalence of IFAS among pregnant women in Muntinlupa, Philippines. There is a pressing need to improve health education on the benefits of IFAS among pregnant women to increase its prevalence. This emphasizes the necessity of increased involvement of health care providers and CHWs to increase women's knowledge of IFAS benefits and support them through pregnancy.
Citation
Yamashita T, Roces RED, Ladines-Llave C, Reyes Tuliao MT, Wanjira Kamau M, Yamada C, Tanaka Y, Shimazawa K, Iwamoto S, Matsuo H. Maternal Knowledge Associated with the Prevalence of Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Among Pregnant Women in Muntinlupa, Philippines: A Cross-Sectional Study. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2021 Mar 1;15:501-510. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S291939. PMID: 33688172; PMCID: PMC7935439.Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
- Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) [10378]
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