Department of Population and Reproductive Health, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
Reprod Health. 2024 Nov 18;21(1):165. doi: 10.1186/s12978-024-01877-z.
Iron-Folate Acid Supplementation (IFAS) interventions have been recognized globally as key in reducing the burden of anemia among pregnant women. However, adherence to and determinants of IFAS remain indistinct, as it is the main constraint with supplementation therapy, particularly among minority populations. Hence, this study sought to determine the adherence to and predictors of IFAS among nomadic Fulani pregnant women in the West Gonja Municipality of Ghana.
A community-based cross-sectional design was employed to involve 130 respondents between February to July, 2022 in the West Gonja Municipality of Ghana. Fulani pregnant women aged 15-49 years, possessing maternal and child health record book and were given iron-folate supplements within 16 weeks and resided within the study area ≥ 6 months before/during the data collection period were included in the study. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine independent predictors of IFAS using SPSS version 25.0 (p ≤ 0.05 deemed statistically significant across all models). ResultsUptake of and adherence to IFAS was 47.7% and 35.5% respectively. Major barriers to IFAS uptake were forgetfulness (25.7%) and unavailability (20.0%). About 65.4% of the respondents revealed poor knowledge of IFAS. Spousal occupation (AOR = 0.17, p = 0.010), spousal income (AOR = 4.125, p = 0.050) and knowledge on IFAS (AOR = 0.259, p = 0.039) were predictors of IFAS.
Poor adherence to and knowledge on IFAS were noted in the study and highlighted as a grave public health concern. Thus, nutrition and antenatal educational programs should give necessary attention to adherence to IFAS during pregnancy, particularly among nomadic and other vulnerable and minority populations to limit the burden of illnesses.
铁叶酸酸补充剂（IFAS）干预措施已在全球范围内得到认可，是减少孕妇贫血负担的关键。然而，IFAS 的依从性和决定因素仍不明确，因为这是补充治疗的主要限制，特别是在少数人群中。因此，本研究旨在确定加纳西部贡贾市游牧富拉尼孕妇对 IFAS 的依从性和预测因素。
采用基于社区的横断面设计，于 2022 年 2 月至 7 月在加纳西部贡贾市纳入 130 名受访者。纳入标准为年龄在 15-49 岁之间的富拉尼孕妇，拥有母婴健康记录簿，并在 16 周内接受铁叶酸补充剂，在数据收集期间之前/期间在研究区域内居住≥6 个月。使用 SPSS 版本 25.0（所有模型中 p≤0.05 均具有统计学意义）进行多变量逻辑回归，以确定 IFAS 的独立预测因素。
IFAS 的吸收率和依从率分别为 47.7%和 35.5%。IFAS 吸收率低的主要障碍是健忘（25.7%）和无法获得（20.0%）。约 65.4%的受访者表示对 IFAS 的了解较差。配偶职业（AOR=0.17，p=0.010）、配偶收入（AOR=4.125，p=0.050）和 IFAS 知识（AOR=0.259，p=0.039）是 IFAS 的预测因素。
研究中发现 IFAS 的依从性和知识较差，这是一个严重的公共卫生问题。因此，营养和产前教育计划应在怀孕期间特别关注 IFAS 的依从性，尤其是在游牧民族和其他弱势群体和少数民族中，以限制疾病负担。
