| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2022 | Volume
: 36
| Issue : 2 | Page : 43-47 |
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Prevalence of nonadherence to iron and folic acid supplementation among pregnant women in Bishnupur district of Manipur
Bikash Debbarma, Shantibala Konjengbam, Vijaya Elangbam, Soubam Christina, Brogen Singh Akoijam
Department of Community Medicine, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, Manipur, India
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Soubam Christina
Department of Community Medicine, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, Manipur
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jms.jms_82_21
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Context: Iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation is an important strategy to reduce the prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) during pregnancy. Consequently, it reduces risk of maternal mortality, neonatal mortality, and poor birth outcomes. Nonadherence to IFA supplementation is a challenging factor in combating IDA.
Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of nonadherence to IFA supplementation among pregnant women and identify the factors associated with it.
Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women attending public health facilities of Bishnupur district, Manipur. Pregnant women with ≥20 weeks of period of gestation were recruited consecutively from the antenatal care clinics of the selected public health facilities. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a pretested semi-structured interview schedule. Association between nonadherence to IFA supplementation and background characteristics and antenatal profile was analyzed using Chi-square test.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 28 ± 5.7 years, and 69% were multigravida. Among 396 women who were currently consuming IFA tablets, 25% were nonadherent. Bad taste, side effects, and inadequate supply were cited as the main reasons for irregular intake. The presence of comorbidities (P < 0.001), government supply as source of IFA tablets (P = 0.001), and adequate knowledge about IFA tablets (P = 0.04) were found to be significantly associated with nonadherence. Other associated factors were religion, education, socioeconomic status, and period of gestation.
Conclusions: The prevalence of nonadherence was high among pregnant women in Bishnupur district. The importance of IFA supplementation and its adherence should be emphasized to pregnant women.
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