Research paper
Adherence to Iron-Folic Acid Supplementation and Associated Factors among Pregnant Women in Kasulu Communities in North-Western Tanzania
Study answer
What this study found
Adherence to IFAS among 320 respondents was 20.3% (65/320). Positive associations with adherence included: first-trimester ANC initiation (AOR 2.73; 95% CI 1.56–4.77); high knowledge of anaemia (AOR 3.84; 95% CI 1.34–10.69); counseling on IFAS importance (AOR 3.86; 95% CI 1.42–10.50); IFAS given at each visit (AOR 9.42; 95% CI 4.85–18.31); having 2 meals or fewer daily (AOR 3.39; 95% CI 1.72–5.89); fewer than four children (AOR 3.19; 95% CI 1.81–8.65); distance to facility showed limited predictive value after adjustment. Side effects reduced adherence (AOR 0.38; 95% CI 0.19–0.76).…
- Study & population
- Health facility-based cross-sectional study with mixed-methods in Kasulu district, Kigoma region, Tanzania (March–April 2019).
- Intervention
- Iron and folic acid tablets; one tablet daily containing 30-60 mg iron and 400 mcg folic acid; started at the first antenatal visit; for at least 90 days.
- Key limitation
- Self-reported adherence may bias results; potential recall/reporting bias.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Introduction Pregnant women are at a high risk of anaemia, with iron-folate deficiency being the most common cause of anaemia among pregnant women. Despite the well-known importance of iron and folic acid supplementation (IFAS) during pregnancy, adhe…