ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPTANCE OF IRON AND FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN

ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPTANCE OF IRON AND FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN RURAL NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE/INTRODUCTION

Anemia is a serious public health issue that affects both emerging and industrialized nations, having a significant negative impact on both social and economic development and human health. While it may happen at any stage of life, it is more common in small children and pregnant women. In 2002, one of the most significant contributing causes to the global burden of illness was thought to be iron deficiency anemia (IDA) (WHO, 2002). Anemia is mostly brought on by a lack of iron in the diet worldwide. Pregnancy and women of reproductive age are the two times when it is most prevalent. From the beginning of pregnancy until the end of pregnancy, the demand for iron rises by roughly six to seven times.

Anemia affects pregnant women more often for a variety of reasons. Biological changes (menstruation), undernutrition brought on by poverty, food insecurity, gender disparities, a lack of understanding of healthy eating habits, and a rise in iron and folic acid insufficiency are a few of these. Y. P. Khan, Yakoob, and Z. A. Bhutta (2010) Also, due to their inadequate iron intake and limited iron absorption, pregnant women have higher micronutrient needs, notably for iron, which is necessary for metabolism and fetal development. A. A. Mirza, R. Kumari, K. Sharma, Naithani, V. Saxena, J. Bharadwaj, and (2016).

According to the IFAS advice, women who didn’t take the pills would develop iron and folic acid (IFA) deficiency anemia, which would have a severe impact on both the mother and the unborn child. Preeclampsia and premature birth are linked to folic acid deficiency in pregnant women. Moreover, it is connected to birth obesity, type 2 diabetes, fetal deformity, and neural tube abnormalities.

Similarly, bleeding, preterm birth, membrane rupture, reduced work ability, and maternal mortality are associated with iron deficiency anemia in women. The hazards of iron anemia in the baby were small for gestational age, low birth weight, poor cognitive development, stillbirth, and cardiovascular illness. Globally, anemia causes 50,000 maternal fatalities after delivery each year, with 22% of those deaths attributable to iron deficiency alone. Anemia led to 10% of maternal fatalities in Tanzania and 28.6% of maternal deaths overall in sub-Saharan Africa, according to S. A. Tiruneh, B. A. Abate, M. T. Engidaw, and D. T. Asnakew (2019)

Age, socioeconomic position, level of education, worry about or personal experience with side effects, cost, use of health care services, and availability of these supplements at health care facilities are just a few of the variables that affect the use and adherence to IFA supplementation (Kamau et al. 2018). There are very few studies addressing the knowledge and variables influencing the use of IFA supplements among Pakistani pregnant and non-pregnant women, including participants from different areas (Hisam et al. 2014, Nisar et al. 2014a, Nisar et al. 2014b). This study was done since there hasn’t been any research on IFA supplementation among pregnant women in Ikare-Akoko.

 

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